The Author
After the first screenplay I wrote won “Best Screenplay of The Competition” at the New York International Independent Film Festival, I was hired to write an episode of THE SOPRANOS. After that incredible experience, I decided to leave New York (where I was an attorney; Columbia class of 1996) and move to Los Angeles to try my hand at screenwriting full time.
Soon thereafter I was hired as a staff writer for the CBS drama THE GUARDIAN where I was fortunate enough to be promoted to Co-Producer within a year. From there I went on to write and Produce LAW & ORDER and write and Co-Executive Produce PRISON BREAK.
I also forayed into unscripted television, having Created and Executive Produced the hit reality show BEAUTY & THE GEEK.
And I enjoy writing feature films. I was a credited writer on the Lions Gate/Marvel feature THE PUNISHER: WAR ZONE as well as THE LONGSHOTS starring Ice Cube – a film I also produced.
My career took an even more interesting turn when my first novel, SLIP & FALL, was published in 2008 and became a National Best Seller within its first week. My second novel, FIFTEEN DIGITS, will be released by renowned publisher Little, Brown on April 24, 2012.
I also recently completed SANDSTORM, an original comic book series that I created for DC Comics.
Currently, the majority of my time is spent as Co-Creator/Writer/Executive Producer/Showrunner for the A&E series BREAKOUT KINGS, now in its second season.
A born and bred New Yorker, I find myself still adjusting to LA even after a decade out here. But I am thrilled to be able to share my crazy life with my beautiful wife and our two wonderful daughters.
Thanks so much for visiting my site and supporting my writing. It means the world to me.
- Nick
BIO
Full Name: Nicholas (but goes by Nick)
Born: Queens, New York
College: Washington University in St. Louis
Law School: Columbia Law School
Jobs Before Writer: Cleaned Parking Lots, Lifeguard, SAT tutor, Bartender, Waiter, On-Air Correspondent for Court TV, Lawyer
Q&A
[NOTE: This interview was conducted by K21 Communications, a publicist based in Beverly Hills]
Q: You were a practicing lawyer in New York, how did you make the transition to writing, especially for tv and film?
A: I had always wanted to be a writer, since I was a little kid, but I just didn’t see how you could make a living as a writer and I felt I needed to do something with the education my family had sacrificed so much for me to get. So after college I went to law school and practiced law for a long time and was absolutely miserable. I just hated being an attorney. Finally, around 2000 or so, when I was still a lawyer, I took my last week of vacation time and spent it writing a screenplay which I submitted to a film festival. It won Best Screenplay of the Competition and before I knew it I was talking to Hollywood agents.
Q: Did you have the stereotypical “big break” that really helped your career in writing for movies and television?
A: A very talented writer named Marc Rosner gave me my first job, writing an episode for a series called At End of Day which was based on the George V. Higgins novel of the same name. The show didn’t get picked up by the network but that script got me into the Writer’s Guild and showed my agents that I could do the job. Then a few months later, David Chase, the creator of The Sopranos, read my script that won the film festival and off that he hired me to write the teleplay of a Sopranos episode. It was the one where the mob pays gang-bangers to shoot up a crack house and it ends with Tony taking off his belt and whipping Assemblyman Zellman as Zellman huddles on the floor in his underwear. That episode changed my life. In about a year I went from having no credits to having a credit on the hottest show on television. I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity David Chase gave me.
Q: You’ve been involved in several television and film projects. What has been your most rewarding professional experience so far?
A: Tough question. I might want to say Prison Break. But not only because I think it’s a great show. I love the experience because I’ve been able to work with some of the most talented writers, producers, actors, studio and network executives, directors and post-production personnel that I will ever work with in my career. And on top of that, they’re all great people who I love spending the majority of my days with. The writers all became great friends – we care about each other, we pull for each other, it was as good as it gets. I’d work with that group for the rest of my life if I could.
But then again, might want to say Breakout Kings. Overall, it’s the best experience I’ve ever had working with a group of actors. Forget about how talented they are – they are good people. I like them all so much and consider them friends, which is dangerous when you’re writing for characters that are inhabited by these people that you care about. Breakout Kings is also rewarding because the show kind of got a name for being “the little show that could”. We were supposed to be on FOX and then FOX didn’t pick up the show to everyone’s surprise and then A&E picked it up (which NEVER happens) and it became a hit for their network.
Q: Is it like that on most shows in Hollywood – these positive experiences?
A: There are so many shows out there and I’ve only worked on a half-dozen or so, so I wouldn’t know. But I can tell you this – it should be like that on all shows because it results in the best work product.
Q: Who are some of your favorite actors to work with?
A: I have had the most rewarding experience, cast-wise, with Breakout Kings. I consider the actors on that show some of the best in the business and I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them. I also loved writing for Robert Knepper, Bill Fichtner, Wade Williams, Raphael Sbarge, M. Emmet Walsh, Michael Rapaport, Michael Flipowich, Jason Behr, Dabney Coleman — obviously the cast of The Sopranos but that was a one-episode freelance script so I didn’t really “work” with those actors. I’ve been very lucky that I’ve had the chance to put words in the mouths of some of the best — I mean I got to write for Rita Moreno for God’s sake! She’s won every award there is.
Q: Television, movies and now novels. Why?
A: I like to tell stories; I don’t care about the medium.
Q: And didn’t you create and Executive Produce the reality show “Beauty & The Geek”? How did that come about?
A: To say any one person “created” a show is unfair. To be completely fair, the people that really made that show work was 3 Ball, an incredible company that really hasn’t gotten the recognition it deserves with respect to “Geek” considering what a great job they did. They’re the ones that truly carried the water when it came to the day-in, day-out logistics of putting the show together. 3 Ball is fantastic. But, yes, I did conceive the show.
Q: Okay, let’s get back to books. How is writing a novel different from writing for television?
A: The solitude. Writing a novel is just you and the blank page in front of you. You don’t toss ideas around with anybody, you don’t bounce dialogue off a pal. It’s just you, alone. Writing for television is different. You have a writing staff and you work together on breaking stories and then you read each other’s drafts and shares notes and ideas and it is very collaborative and frankly, a really fun and enjoyable process. At the end of it all, you watch an episode and know that with all the writers, cast and crew – you have something that literally scores and scores of people have contributed to – a real team effort. That’s why it is so absurd when a director takes “A Film By” credit. Because unless you wrote every word, shot the film, played all the parts, sewed the costumes and did the lighting all by yourself, you’re taking the credit for other people’s work. “A Film By” credit is the ultimate example of ego, hubris and Hollywood bullshit.
Q: How much of SLIP & FALL is autobiographical?
A: Obviously, when I was a lawyer I never teamed up with the mob. But I did, as the first male in my family to go to college, put a fair amount of pressure on myself to be successful, to make my family proud. And I think that’s why I went to law school. And I love my family very much, and they always stand by me, no matter what, just like Rob Principe, the hero of Slip & Fall, had his family stand by him. To that extent that Rob Principe and I both have incredible families, it is very autobiographical.
Q: What about FIFTEEN DIGITS?
A: The fact that Rich doesn’t think he’s good enough for Elyse … well … that’s me and my wife in a nutshell. I’ve never thought I’ve been good enough for her, never have been good enough for her, never will be good enough for her. That’s probably why we’ve been together so long. I know my place.
Q: Do you have a favorite moment in SLIP & FALL?
A: That’s a tough one. I guess when Rob’s father tells him that “he raised a good man.” My dad actually said those exact words to me once when our family was going through a very difficult situation. He just said it, probably didn’t even think about it, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. It just had a huge impact on me, my father acknowledging that I was a “good man” helping our family through rough waters – deep down it’s what every son wants to hear.
Q: Do you have a favorite moment in FIFTEEN DIGITS?
A: The last sentence … and if you’re reading this, please don’t turn to the last page and read it! It will lose its effectiveness that way!
Q: Do you have any heroes?
A: Professionally or personally?
Q: Both.
A: Personally, I look up to my parents, my grandparents – they all worked incredibly hard, gave so much, so their children and grandchildren could have opportunities they never had or could have never dreamed of. They are all my role models. I also admire my sister very much – she is very smart and very tough. And as for a role model of what a good, decent person should be, I look to my wife. She is amazing.
Professionally, I don’t have “heroes”, per se. I have people who’s work and/or work ethic I admire. John Turturro made the film “Mac”, my favorite film of all time. I admire that work. I am always blown away by Terry Winter, who’s won more awards than a county fair blue ribbon hog, but still stays driven and humble and and the top of his game — and trust me, the “top” of Terry Winter’s game is light years ahead of the top of anyone else’s game. He’s Michael Jordan – the rest are CYO Rec League.
I really appreciated the way Matt Olmstead produced Prison Break – organized and not micro-managing at all. I admire Christian Trokey, a writer from Prison Break, because he spent 7 years or so in LA trying to break into the business and no matter how hard it was at times, he never gave up – he knew if he stuck to it his talent would eventually get him to where he’d need to be, and it did. Actually, now that I think of it, I have admiration for each and every person from the Prison Break team.
I also really respect a young writer we brought onto Breakout Kings this year, Jen Corbett. She’s a former naval officer who started out with us as an intern. Then she was quickly promoted to Production Assistant and then Writer’s Assistant. In between seasons 1 & 2 of Breakout Kings she took it upon herself to write a sample script of the show — that just shows what a self-starter she is — and it was a great piece of material. We didn’t think we’d have any money in the budget for a staff writer in Season 2 but some cash shook loose and we were able to promote Jen to staff writer because she had that sample that showed us and the studio and the network what she was capable of. From unpaid intern to professional writer within 2 years of moving from Philadelphia to LA. That is not how it is supposed to happen! But Jen made it happen. So I couldn’t think more highly of her – totally respect her and her talent and her work ethic.
I have great respect and admiration for Adam Carolla. Because he is so funny, so sharp, I think people might think it’s just “easy” for him – roll out of bed, talk into a microphone, collect a check. Nothing could be further from the truth. The guy lives on airplanes, and in studios, and in front of the camera, and he’s always writing or on the phone doing interviews to promote his stuff or doing whatever else he needs to do to grow his business. He works like an Ellis Island immigrant right off the boat. (and I can say that because my grandparents were right off the boat). He has 20 different jobs (TV show host, podcast host, writer, comedian, producer, actor, you name it) – it’s amazing – he’s the only guy I know in the entertainment business who is busier than I am. I just respect that work ethic so much because I come from a family of workers. Give me a hard worker over a “genius” any day. But, with Adam, you get both — work ethic and his genius mind. Not to mention, from seeing how he works, he always conducts himself in an ethical, fair and decent manner – very rare for this business.
Q: You’ve graduated from an Ivy League Law School, written, produced and/or created for film and television, become a Best Selling Author … what so far is the accomplishment you’re most proud of?
A: Getting my wife to marry me.
Q: Were you worried she’d say no?
A: No. She has bad eyesight, so I told her I was handsome. She believed me … sucker.
Q: If you could have dinner with 3 people, dead or alive, who would they be?
A: If I eat alone, can I get all the meals? If so, then nobody.
Q: For a drama writer, you’re a pretty funny guy.
A: You just made my lifetime. Some of the funniest people I know are drama writers and so many comedy writers are often somber and serious. But the truth is, I’m not a “drama writer”. There is a lot of humor in the stuff I write. Breakout Kings has tons of humor in it. My novels have laugh-out-loud moments. The best thing I ever wrote in my life is a Curb Your Enthusiasm script.
Q: Speaking of tv, what are your favorite shows?
A: The Simpsons. Louie. I am addicted to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – that show is brilliant, literally – there is a brilliant ray of “comedy sun” that shines from my TV every time I watch the show, which is daily – wish I could work there – I’d fetch their coffee just to watch them break story. I love American Pickers – I want to get a van and go find some junk with Mike and Frank! The League is fantastic. And for dramas, I have to say I’ve never seen anything like Boardwalk Empire before in my life. A show that is so visually breathtaking, so beautifully crafted — it could only be done on HBO and could only be done by the brilliant Terry Winter.
Q: What on tv is bad?
A: We don’t have the time. Next question.
Q: If you couldn’t write, what would you do?
A: Become depressed, drink too much, wallow in misery, put on 50 pounds, my family would leave me and in 20 years you’d find me living behind a Winn Dixie making love to a sock puppet I named “Mr. Coccobutter.” Truth is, I’ve basically done all those things except for the “family leave me” part.
Q: Seriously.
A: I am serious. If I can’t write and be creative, you might as well fit me for a pine box. This is all I want to do. It’s all I ever wanted to do. I want to write and be with my family and that’s it. I don’t ski, I don’t collect anything, I have no hobbies … I want to make stuff up, put it on paper, put it on film and be a good father and husband. Those are my jobs, my hobbies and my passions. It actually helps me try to keep my life simple.
Q: Is your life simple?
A: Not at all. I said it helps me “try” to keep it simple. But at any given time I have 6 or 7 projects in some stage of development. But I’m not complaining – it’s great. I’m the luckiest guy in the world and I know it.
