Nick Nanton
Nick Nanton | |
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Born | |
Education | |
Alma mater | University of Florida |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2005–present |
Organizations |
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Website | nicknanton |
Nick Nanton is an American director and producer of film and television projects, author, and branding agency executive. He is the co-founder and CEO of DNA Films, through which he has produced and directed a number of documentary films, including Dickie V, Operation Toussaint, Rudy Ruettiger: The Walk On, Visioneer, and A New Leash on Life: The K9s for Warriors Story. He is also the CEO of the Dicks + Nanton Agency, a celebrity branding agency that he co-founded with his business partner J.W. Dicks in Winter Park, Florida. Additionally, Nanton is the creator and host of the Amazon Prime Video interview series, In Case You Didn't Know with Nick Nanton. He has won over 20 Emmy Awards for his work on these projects. Nanton has also written a number of books including Celebrity Branding You and Story Selling. Nanton started his career as an entertainment lawyer.
Early life and education
[edit]Nanton was born in Barbados and immigrated to the United States with his family when he was one year old. His father opened a furniture store[1] in the Orlando area in central Florida, where Nanton largely grew up.[2][3] His first job was as a tennis instructor when he was 12 years old.[1] He attended Lake Mary High School in Lake Mary, Florida, where he played on the school's tennis team. He graduated from high school in 1998.[4] In his late teens, Nanton became interested in songwriting and music production. By the time he was a college student at the University of Florida, he had his own recording studio (inside a friend's studio) in Gainesville where he was able to work with acts such as Stan Lynch[1] and Sister Hazel.[5] He also made music of his own.[1] Nanton was a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity while at college. He graduated from the University of Florida in 2001[6] with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) in finance.[7] He went on to earn his J.D. from the University of Florida's Fredric G. Levin College of Law in December 2004.[8]
Career
[edit]Early in his career, Nanton was CEO of the Cinemark Music Group.[8] He also formed his own law firm, Dicks & Nanton, with his legal and business partner J.W. Dicks. The firm primarily focused on liability, trademark, and entertainment law.[9] In July 2007, Nanton was elected to serve on the executive council of The Florida Bar Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Committee.[10] That year, he was also voted "Best of the Bar 2007" by his peers as published by the Orlando Business Journal, and he became a member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences with a vote in the Grammy Awards.[11]
Also in 2007, Nanton opted to focus on celebrity marketing, consulting, and public relations. With J.W. Dicks, he formed the Dicks and Nanton Celebrity Branding Agency[1] in Winter Park, Florida[12] in July 2007.[13] Nanton also began serving as the agency's CEO at that time. In 2008, he co-wrote (with Dicks) his first book, Celebrity Branding You. The following year, he began contributing content to compilation books starting with Big Ideas for Your Business.[14]
In 2010, the Dicks Nanton Agency branched into documentary film production. Nanton produced and co-directed the documentary short, Jacob's Turn. Nanton was honored with the award in the Director (Post-Production) category at the 47th Ohio Valley Emmy Awards that year.[15] In the following years, Nanton continued producing and directing films. Films were produced as part of the CelebrityFilms production company started by Dicks and Nanton.[16] That company would later start a new division known as DNA Films.[17][12][18]
Nanton continued authoring and contributing to books. In 2013, he published Story Selling which appeared on The Wall Street Journal Best Seller list.[12] With J.W. Dicks, he founded a publishing company called CelebrityPress, which primarily publishes books on the topics of business and entrepreneurship.[19] 2013 also saw Nanton receive further accolades for his film work. He won multiple Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards that year for producing and directing the documentary shorts, Esperanza and Mi Casa Hogar.[20] In 2014, it was announced that Nanton would direct a biographical documentary about the founder of the X Prize Foundation, Peter Diamandis.[21] The resultant film, Visioneer, garnered Nanton another Suncoast Regional Emmy Award in the Director (Post-Production) category in 2015.[22]
In the following years, Nanton produced and directed a number of other biographical documentaries, including Maximum Achievement: The Brian Tracy Story (2017),[23] The Soul of Success: The Jack Canfield Story (2017),[24] Rudy Ruettiger: The Walk On (2018),[25] and Game Changer: The Dan Sullivan Story (2018), among others.[26] In 2018, he won six Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards for producing and directing Rudy Ruettiger, Game Changer, and A New Leash on Life: The K9s for Warriors Story.[17][27] The Ruettiger film was adapted into a one-man show called Dream Big: Rudy Ruettiger Live on Broadway that was produced and directed by Nanton and staged at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway in 2019.[28]
Also in 2018, Nanton's Prime Video interview series, In Case You Didn't Know with Nick Nanton, premiered and has since featured guests such as Larry King, Dean Kamen, and Anthony Scaramucci.[12] That year, Nanton also directed the documentary, Operation Toussaint, which chronicled the efforts of Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.) to retrieve child trafficking victims in Haiti.[29] A 2019 follow-up to that film, Triple Take, followed the eponymous Operation Triple Take undertaken by O.U.R. in Colombia.[30] He also won for From Shelter to Service: A K9s for Warriors Story.[31] In 2020, two episodes ("Nido Qubein: Extraordinary is a Choice" and "Lisa Nichols: Born to Win") from his Prime Video series won Emmy Awards as individual documentaries.[32] He also directed the documentary, Folds of Honor, that year which details the charitable efforts of the non-profit organization of the same name.[33] In 2022 he was honored with a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars.[34] Later that year he directed the film Dickie V, covering the life and career of Dick Vitale, which premiered on ESPN+.[35]
Filmography
[edit]Year | Title [36] |
Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2010 | Jacob's Turn | Executive producer, co-director | Documentary short |
2012 | Tackling Taxes | Executive producer, creative director | Documentary short |
Practicing Perfection | Executive producer, creative director | Documentary short | |
Car Men | Executive producer, executive creative director | Documentary short | |
The Flower Girl | Executive producer, director | Short film | |
Cracking the Celebrity Code | Executive producer, executive creative director | Documentary short | |
Filling the Financial Gap | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
2013 | Life & The Party | Executive producer, executive creative director | Documentary short |
Esperanza | Executive producer, producer, director | Documentary short | |
Faith Family and Taxes | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
Life in Balance | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
Back to Health | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
Coach Pete's Financial Safari | Producer, director | Documentary short | |
Real People, Real Systems, Real Profits | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
Making the Difference | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
Mi Casa Hogar | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
The I.T. Guy | Executive producer, executive creative director | Documentary short | |
A Life of Success and Significance | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
2014 | Stand and Serve | Executive producer, director | Documentary short |
Get Your Life Back | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
Heritage | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
If It Is to Be It's Up to Me | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
2015 | Visioneer: The Peter Diamandis Story | Executive producer, director | Documentary film |
2016 | The Rebound | Executive producer | Documentary film |
Return to Esperanza | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
Armonia | Executive producer, director | Documentary short | |
2017 | Maximum Achievement: The Brian Tracy Story | Executive producer, director | Documentary film |
Live Your Quest | Executive producer, director | Documentary film | |
The Soul of Success: The Jack Canfield Story | Executive producer, director | Documentary film | |
2018 | Game Changer: The Dan Sullivan Story | Executive producer, director | Documentary film |
Rudy Ruettiger: The Walk On | Executive producer, director | Documentary film | |
Operation Toussaint: Operation Underground Railroad and the Fight to End Modern Day Slavery | Executive producer, director | Documentary film | |
Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got: The Jay Abraham Story | Executive producer, director | Documentary film | |
A New Leash on Life: The K9s for Warriors Story | Executive producer, director | Documentary film | |
2018–present | In Case You Didn't Know with Nick Nanton | Creator, executive producer, director, host | Amazon Prime Video docuseries |
2019 | From Shelter to Service: A K9s for Warriors Story | Executive producer, director | Documentary film |
Triple Take | Executive producer, director | Documentary film | |
2020 | Folds of Honor: A Fighter Pilot's Mission to Deliver Healing and Hope to America | Executive producer, director | Documentary film |
Choose Yourself: The James Altucher Story | Executive producer, director | Prime Video docuseries | |
Dreamer | Executive producer, director | Documentary film | |
2022 | Dickie V | Director | Documentary film[37] |
Bibliography
[edit]Year | Title [38] |
Original publisher | ISBN | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008 | Celebrity Branding You | CelebrityPress | ISBN 978-0983947073 | Co-written with JW Dicks Second edition released in 2013 |
2013 | Story Selling | CelebrityPress | ISBN 978-0988641877 | Co-written with JW Dicks The Wall Street Journal best-seller list |
2015 | Mission Driven Business | Impact Publishing | ISBN 978-0996197885 | Co-written with JW Dicks |
2018 | Rudy Ruettiger: The Walk On | Morgan James Publishing | ISBN 978-1642790931 | Co-written with Rudy Ruettiger |
2019 | Leo Learns About Life | CelebrityPress | ISBN 978-1732284364 | Children's book |
Nominations and awards
[edit]Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2011 | 47th Ohio Valley Emmy Awards | Director – Post-Production | Nick Nanton for Jacob's Turn | Won | [15] |
2013 | 27th Midsouth Emmy Awards | Documentary - Topical | Car Men (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Nominated | [39] |
37th Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards | Documentary – Topical | Esperanza (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [20] | |
Mi Casa Hogar (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Nominated | [20] | |||
Director – Post-Production | Nick Nanton for Mi Casa Hogar | Won | [20] | ||
Nick Nanton for Esperanza | Nominated | [20] | |||
2015 | 39th Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards | Director – Post-Production | Nick Nanton for Visioneer: The Peter Diamandis Story | Won | [22] |
Nick Nanton for Armonia | Nominated | [22] | |||
2016 | 40th Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards | Documentary – Topical | Return to Esperanza (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [40] |
2018 | 42nd Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards | Documentary – Topical | Rudy Ruettiger: The Walk On (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [27] |
A New Leash on Life: The K9s for Warriors Story (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [27] | |||
Director – Non-Live (Post-Production) | Nick Nanton for Rudy Ruettiger: The Walk On | Won | [27] | ||
Nick Nanton for A New Leash on Life: The K9s for Warriors Story | Won | [27] | |||
Nick Nanton for Game Changer: The Dan Sullivan Story | Won | [27] | |||
Human Interest – Program Feature/Segment | Downrange (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [27] | ||
2019 | 43rd Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards | Documentary – Topical | Triple Take (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [31] |
From Shelter to Service: A K9s for Warriors Story (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Nominated | [41] | |||
Director – Non-Live (Post-Produced) | Nick Nanton for Triple Take | Won | [31] | ||
Nick Nanton for From Shelter to Service: A K9s for Warriors Story | Won | [31] | |||
Nick Nanton for Longevity | Nominated | [41] | |||
Promotion – Program – Single Spot | Triple Take (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [31] | ||
Longevity (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Nominated | [41] | |||
Special Event Coverage – Edited | Dream Big: Rudy Ruettiger Live on Broadway (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Nominated | [41] | ||
2020 | 44th Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards | Documentary – Cultural | Nido Qubein: Extraordinary is a Choice (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [32] |
Lisa Nichols: Born to Win (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [32] | |||
Documentary – Topical | Dreamer (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [32] | ||
Director – Non-Live (Post-Produced) | Nick Nanton for Nido Qubein: Extraordinary is a Choice | Won | [32] | ||
Nick Nanton for Lisa Nichols: Born to Win | Won | [32] | |||
Nick Nanton for Dreamer | Nominated | [42] | |||
Promotion – Program – Single Spot | Dreamer (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [32] | ||
34th Heartland Emmy Awards | Documentary | Folds of Honor (Produced and directed by Nick Nanton) |
Won | [43] |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Elrod, Hal (March 2016). "Achieve Your Goals Podcast #116 - Exclusive Interview with Four-time Emmy Award Winning Director, Nick Nanton" (PDF). Achieve Your Goals with Hal Elrod. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Meyer, Valerie (April 6, 1986). "Jaycess help others deal with handicaps, diseases". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Storm, Stephanie (February 12, 1995). "Brown returns to lead Lake Mary". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Cousins, Jill (February 22, 1998). "Sipka: Tiny bundle of TNT". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Fisher, Brenna (February 17, 2004). "Hanna's triumph". The Gainesville Sun. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Matt (June 10, 2014). "Emmy-winning brother is Fast Company's leading expert on personal branding". Sigma Phi Epsilon. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Kiss, Esther (June 7, 2014). "Nick Nanton on Branding Yourself Like a True Celebrity Expert". Born to Influence. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b "Created on Friday, 29 July 2005 09:29". Sigma Phi Epsilon. July 29, 2005. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Fields, Anne (July 16, 2007). "Small firms capitalize on techniques that help create bigger presence". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Progressions". The Orlando Sentinel. July 16, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Top vote recipients of 2007 win peer approval". Orlando Business Journal. November 19, 2007. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Fluker, Anjali (December 30, 2019). "Be a blessing: How this media pro is using his skills to make a difference in the world". Orlando Business Journal. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Dicks & Nanton Are Opening the Doors of Dicks + Nanton Agency". PRWeb. July 16, 2007. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Lee, Richard (September 1, 2009). "Nanton turns experts into celebs". The Stamford Advocate. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Guzman, Daniela (August 3, 2011). "UF alum wins Emmy for seven-minute short film". The Independent Florida Alligator. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Personal Branding Expert J.W. Dicks Earns Emmy Nomination For "Car Men"". Pitch Engine. January 23, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Boedeker, Hal (December 24, 2018). "Emmys showcase Central Florida filmmakers". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Caviness, Tod (May 16, 2017). "Cigar Culture Comes of Age". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Sumter native contributes expertise to business book". The Item. January 9, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "2013 Emmy Awards". Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards. December 5, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Winter Park firm tackles Diamandis documentary". The Orlando Sentinel. June 23, 2014. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c "2015 Emmy Awards". Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards. December 5, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Nanton, Nick (May 23, 2017). "The Secret to Being Happy". The Hour. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Myers, Kimber (December 14, 2017). "Review: 'The Soul of Success: The Jack Canfield Story' plays like a promo for 'Chicken Soup' author's brand". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Epler, Eric F. (January 30, 2019). "Famed Notre Dame walk-on Rudy Ruettiger to speak at Bishop McDevitt". The Patriot-News. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Hardy, Benjamin (August 16, 2018). "The 'Game Changer' Documentary: A Goldmine of Entrepreneurial Ideas And Strategies". Inc. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "2018 Program Winners" (PDF). Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards. 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Clement, Olivia (December 11, 2018). "Daniel 'Rudy' Ruettiger to Bring Autobiographical Solo Show to Broadway for One Night". Playbill. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Terry, Josh (July 26, 2018). "Movie review: Gripping 'Operation Toussaint' shows Tim Ballard's real-life battle against sex trafficking". The Deseret News. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Briccetti, Peter (July 30, 2020). "Operation Triple Take Fails to Address Systemic Issues with Child Sex-Trafficking". Whistleblower Network News. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "2019 Program Winners" (PDF). Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards. 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "2020 Program Winners" (PDF). Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards. 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Haddaway, Art (July 15, 2020). "Owasso-based Folds of Honor releases new documentary on Amazon Prime Video". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Katsilometes, John (July 31, 2022). "Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds to be awarded Las Vegas stars". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "ESPN Announces New Documentary About Dick Vitale Will Debut This Month | Sports Illustrated". www.si.com. July 6, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ "Nick Nanton". IMDb. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ Koons, Zach (July 6, 2022). "ESPN Announces New Documentary About Dick Vitale Will Debut This Month". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
- ^ "Nick Nanton". Amazon. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Nashville Chapter!". Midsouth Emmy Awards. January 26, 2013. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "2016 Program Winners" (PDF). Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards. 2016. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ a b c d "2019 Program Nominees" (PDF). Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards. 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "2020 Program Nominees" (PDF). Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards. 2020. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
- ^ "Central Florida Local Garners 16th Emmy Win". Success Network. Retrieved June 6, 2021.