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Unedited: From Idea to Manuscript and Shelf to Screen
Whether you're an aspiring writer, an established author, a story professional, or just a story junkie, Unedited is a behind-the-scenes trip into all facets of the global story economy. Join us for a discussion of all things story, from idea to manuscript and shelf to screen with the globe's best writers, book professionals, booksellers, and adaptation stakeholders. We’re going to keep it informed, unfiltered, and unedited—not a salon, think a bar, whatever your drink or genre of choice.
Before he was published, Tom Clancy sold insurance. Stephen King worked in a laundromat. J.K. Rowling was a secretary. Wherever you work and whoever you are, welcome to Unedited: From Idea to Manuscript and Shelf to Screen.
Unedited: From Idea to Manuscript and Shelf to Screen
Rick Nicita and Bob Bookman: Books and Movies at Apex Hollywood
Rick Nicita and Bob Bookman join us for Episode 15 of Unedited. For nearly three decades, Rick and Bob were at the top of CAA's world of talent and book to film. They represented actors including Tom Cruise, Al Pacino, Nicole Kidman, and Sir Anthony Hopkins, and namebrand authors like Michael Crichton, Anne Rice, and Thomas Harris, to name only a few. We discuss how books matriculated through one of the major agencies during the apex motion picture era of Hollywood: the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. We also discuss the decline of readership culture in both Hollywood and America broadly, and the increasing tech-giant domination of Hollywood represented by Amazon’s recent full control of 007. Despite all of this, we discuss why art matters and why the book remains at the heart of Hollywood and top of the global story economy.
Rick Nicita is currently a producer and consultant to the entertainment industry. In 1980, he joined CAA, where he went on to co-head the Motion Picture Department and head the Talent Department before being named Co-Chairman of the agency in 1995. Over the years, he has represented many of the world’s leading actors and directors, including Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, Jeff Bridges, David Lynch, Kevin Costner, Kurt Russell, and Rob Reiner, to list only a few. After leaving CAA in 2008, he went on to be the Co-Chairman of Morgan Creek Productions and later produce films including Hacksaw Ridge and Freud’s Last Session.
Bob Bookman is one of the most influential book-to-screen agents of the last fifty years. He has worked at and run the book divisions of some of the most powerful agencies, beginning at IFA, later at ICM, and eventually at CAA. He has represented some of the 20th Century’s most prestigious talent, including Michael Crichton, Tom Wolfe, Anne Rice, Graham Greene, Nora Ephron, Thomas Harris, and Ken Follett. He has also represented screenwriting and directing talent including Paul Greenglass, Jonathan Demme, Cameron Crowe, Jose Eszterhas, and Brian DePalma, among many others. In addition, Bob has worked at some of the highest levels in the feature world, including at Columbia Films and ABC Motion Pictures, where he worked on enduring films including Stand By Me and Moscow on the Hudson. He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Yale Law School. Bob now continues his production activities under the banner of Smarty Pants Ventures based on the Sony Lot in Culver City.