Nick Davis (television and movie producer)

Nick Davis (born 1965) is a writer, director, and producer.

He is the son of film director Peter Davis and the late Johanna Mankiewicz Davis. His paternal grandparents were the novelist and screenwriter Tess Slesinger and the screenwriter Frank Davis. His maternal grandfather was the screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz. His brother, Tim, is a television writer and his cousins include screenwriter John Mankiewicz, screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz, TCM host Ben Mankiewicz and TV journalist Josh Mankiewicz. Davis lives in New York City with his wife, novelist Jane Mendelsohn, and their two daughters, Lily and Grace.

After graduating from Harvard University, where he was one of the founding members of the improv comedy group On Thin Ice, Davis co-wrote the novel Boone with his friend Brooks Hansen.[1] He then performed improvisational comedy and acting before moving to behind-the camera roles.

Early in his career, Davis co-produced The Language of Life with Bill Moyers for PBS and produced Money and Power: The History of Business for CNBC. Davis also directed the Emmy Award-winning Jack: The Last Kennedy Film in 1993, which was produced with his father.[2]

In 1998 he wrote and directed 1999, an independent feature film starring Jennifer Garner, Dan Futterman, and Amanda Peet, which aired on the Sundance Channel.[3]

In 2001, he started Nick Davis Productions and has produced numerous television programs, including Making News, which ran for two seasons on TV Guide Network. Nick Davis Productions has since produced over 200 short films and videos for companies, non-profits, and private individuals. The Wall Street Journal has described the short films that Davis produces for individuals as "a subgenre that stands at the confluence of current Gilded Age wealth and power."[4]

In 2007, Davis wrote an episode of the ESPN Miniseries The Bronx is Burning.

In 2009, he directed the film Blood, Sweat + Gears, about the 2008 season of Team Slipstream, a cycling team devoted to riding clean and succeeding at the highest level of the sport. The film aired on the Sundance Channel.[5]

In 2018, he produced and directed a film for PBS' American Masters program, Ted Williams: "The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived," narrated by Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning actor Jon Hamm.[6] The film explores the legendary player's career, relationships, and impact on the game of baseball. The Boston Globe wrote, "The documentary captures everything compelling about Williams — but nothing more so than the satisfying aesthetics of his impossibly picturesque swing.... The film is illuminating and insightful on its subject...Davis does a remarkable job of telling — and showing, mesmerizingly — the full Ted Williams story."[7] The New York Post called it "excellent," saying, "It provides a warts-and-all portrayal of one of the game’s most fascinating historical figures."[8] The Los Angeles Times wrote that it was "well told.... It had me in tears."[9]

Davis is currently directing a multi-part 30 for 30 film on the 1986 Mets. The film is being produced in partnership with ESPN Films, Kimmelot, ITV America, and Major League Baseball.[10]

Davis' book, Competing With Idiots, a dual portrait of his grandfather Herman Mankiewicz and great-uncle Joseph Mankiewicz, will be published by Alfred A. Knopf in 2021.[11]