Television
From its first production in 2001 – a Bravo Profile of the actor Gene Wilder – through its acclaimed non-fiction series ‘Making News’ on the TV Guide Network (called ‘one of the best reality shows yet’ by Texas Monthly) to its current work, Nick Davis Productions has always stood for quality television. We know our audience is savvy, sophisticated, and smart, which is why we operate at the peak of our creative intelligence to craft programs that will not only entertain, but also provide long-term value to the viewer.
Long-form documentaries, limited series, and one-hour specials – each production is created with care and attention to detail, in adherence to our long-standing motto: “This film has not been made before.” Production highlights also include Goldtown for National Geographic, Blood, Sweat & Gears: Racing Clean to the Tour de France for Sundance Channel, and eight episodes of the Hugo Award-winning Stories of the Innocence Project for Court TV.
Selected Work
Ted Williams: “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived”
AMERICAN MASTERS DOCUMENTARY FOR PBSTed Williams: “The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived” explores not only the Baseball Hall of Famer’s remarkable on-field accomplishments but also his complicated relationships with family, teammates, press, fans and himself. Produced in partnership with Major League Baseball, it aired on PBS on July 23, 2018 and is now available on iTunes and Amazon. The film is narrated by Emmy-winning actor Jon Hamm and includes never-before-seen archival footage and in-depth interviews with those who knew and studied Williams, including his daughter Claudia Williams, author/journalist Ben Bradlee, Jr., veteran baseball writer Roger Angell and award-winning broadcasters Bob Costas and the late Dick Enberg.
The program demonstrates the power of the heroic myth-making culture in which Williams flourished. Lesser-known topics explored in the film include Williams’ Mexican-American background, his experiences serving during World War II and the Korean War, and his deep rage over his mother’s virtual abandonment of him and his younger brother.
“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.”
Gene Wilder
BRAVO PROFILEThis profile of the actor Gene Wilder for the long-running Bravo Profile series was the first project the company produced upon its founding in the Spring of 2001. We filmed interviews with Mel Brooks, Cloris Leachman, Carol Kane, Leonard Nimoy, and Dom DeLuise, as well as Gene Wilder. Also, wanting a current younger actor to speak of his love for Gene, we interviewed Ben Stiller about Gene’s work. The profile also tracked Gene at work on the production of a play at the Westbury Country Playhouse.
“I loved it. I had no idea Ben Stiller liked my work.”
Documentary Films
Whether it’s beautiful and talented Israeli-born cellist Inbal Segev, determined to play and record the Bach Cello Suites, the Harvard Fencing Team commemorating its 125th Anniversary in an intense and often misunderstood sport, or short profiles celebrating notables such as Joel Grey, Edie Windsor, or Milton Glaser, our documentary films are as wide-ranging as Planet Earth and as diverse as the people who populate it.
Trained in historical documentary filmmaking by Ken Burns and David Grubin, and cinema verité by Peter Davis, we wrap our arms around our subject matter and then dive deep into the material, employing the top cinematographers, editors, and producers in the field to craft visually stunning, dramatically compelling films.
Selected Work
Leaving Tracks
DOCUMENTARY FILMLeaving Tracks tells the intimate and compelling story of the founder of the Haas Moto Museum, and of his immense impact on the lives of the custom builders whose masterpieces elevate the Museum to the pinnacle of its industry. Beneath his success as a financier and Nat Geo photographer, Bobby Haas grapples with a lifetime of trauma in his quest to create a museum like no other. The film probes the surprising affection that develops between the founder and the custom builders, who are united by their shared chase for perfection. Embedded in the Museum’s rolling works of art that exude danger and speed are the universal challenges of human endeavor.
“The journey into filmmaking that I initiated two years ago would have been impossible without an experienced, sensitive, and flexible guide and partner who could coax and cajole and shape this story into a final documentary we would all be proud of. Nick immediately grasped the potential of the story and the magnetism of the characters. With the benefit of hindsight (and warmed by the glow of the critical acclaim that has come our way so soon after the film’s release), Nick was the ideal Producer to convert this story into an award-winning film.”
Inbal Segev and the Bach Cello Suites
DOCUMENTARY FILMCellist Inbal Segev is determined to tackle and record the “Mount Everest for Cellists” – the Bach cello suites. Will she be able to do it? What will she learn in the process? How will she juggle the competing demands of motherhood and her professional career? Our film provides a profound and intimate look at the creative process, through the work of one of America’s most exciting young cellists.
“Fantastic!!! You did it, you captured it, the joy and the struggle, the creative process. I love it!!!”