Rick Nicita

Rick Nicita (born Charles Richard Nicita, 15 December 1945) is an American entertainment executive, talent agent, and motion picture/TV producer. Nicita is a former co-chairman and managing partner of Creative Artists Agency.

Rick Nicita
Born
Charles Richard Nicita

(1945-12-15)15 December 1945
OccupationTalent agent; producer; former Creative Artists Agency co-chairman and managing partner
Years active1968–Present
Spouse(s)
Wallis Nicita
​
(div. 1983)​

​
(m. 1984)​

Children2

Career

The William Morris Agency

Before turning exclusively to production and consultation in 2017,[1] Rick Nicita spent five decades as a professional talent agent and manager, starting May 1968 with the William Morris Agency (WMA), New York City, and later transferring to WMA's Beverly Hills offices in 1976. At WMA, Nicita started in the mailroom and earned his full agenting position over time, a traditional rite of initiation.[2]

In a 2003 interview, Rick Nicita detailed his early days with William Morris: "I had dropped out of Fordham Law School when I realized that very little of the study and practice of law interested me. I spent many weeks trying to figure out what I wanted to do--- not what I should do, or what was easiest, or what society wanted me to do, but what I wanted to do. I always loved movies so I decided that I would be in the movie business. I called a fraternity (Psi U) brother, Robert Levy '67, who was temporarily working at William Morris, and asked him to help me get a job there. I didn't even know what an agent did. I loved it the minute I started."[3]

Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Rick Nicita left the William Morris Agency in 1980 to join then four year-old Creative Artists Agency, this after being hand-selected by CAA's leadership of the time, which included founders Michael Ovitz and Ron Meyer.[4] Nicita was later named co-chairman of CAA and then managing partner, all of this within the historical era in which CAA was considered the world's dominant talent agency.[5][6]

During his time with CAA, Rick Nicita maintained a client list that included Francis Ford Coppola,[7] Al Pacino,[8][9] Rob Reiner,[10] Bette Midler,[11] Mick Jagger,[12] David Lynch,[13] Christopher Walken,[14] Debra Winger,[15] Tom Cruise,[16] Anthony Hopkins,[17] Nicole Kidman,[18] Kurt Russell,[19] Sally Field,[20] and others.

Morgan Creek and RPMedia

Rick Nicita left Creative Artists Agency in 2008 to become Morgan Creek's Co-chairman and COO.[21] Nicita departed Morgan Creek in 2011,[22][23] later returning to talent representation[24] via his self-created RPMedia shingle. (RP is an acronym for "Rick and Paula").[25]

Personal life

Nicita is the son of Frances (née Scapolito) and Charles Nicita.[26] In the 1970s, Rick Nicita married casting director/producer Wallis Nicita (née Lindburg).[27][28][29] They divorced in 1983.[30]

In 1984, Rick Nicita and Paula Wagner were married. Wagner was a fellow CAA talent agent who later moved to producing via Cruise/Wagner Productions, a company she formed with her then client, Tom Cruise. For many years, Rick Nicita and Paula Wagner were cited in the international media as "Hollywood's Power Couple".[31][32][33][34] Nicita and Wagner remain married as of 2020.

References
  1. "Rick Nicita Retires Management Shingle To Focus On Producing". Deadline. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  2. "The Secrets of Hollywood Agency Mailrooms". The Hollywood Reporter. 3 November 2011. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  3. "Q&A: One of Hollywood's Top Agents". Wesleyan University Magazine. 4 March 2003. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  4. Who Is Michael Ovitz?: A Memoir, By Michael Ovitz (Page 107). Portfolio/Penguin. 2018. ISBN 9781101601488. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  5. "A Hollywood Agency With Star Power: CAA, Hollywood's Dominant Agency, Is After Fresh Territory. But In the Talent Business, Is Bigger Always Better?". Fortune. 4 October 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  6. Power, Ambition and Betrayal In Hollywood: James B. Stewart On "Powerhouse". The New York Times. 6 August 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  7. "Coppola Bids Bye-Bye to CAA". Variety. 9 December 1997. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  8. "Al Pacino, Garry Marshall Sign with Newly Minted Manager Rick Nicita (Exclusive)". Yahoo! News via The Hollywood Reporter. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  9. "Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Database: Al Pacino, 1992". The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 29 March 1993. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  10. "Power Agent Changes Hats". Los Angeles Times. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  11. Who Is Michael Ovitz?: A Memoir, By Michael Ovitz (Page 205). Portfolio/Penguin. 2018. ISBN 9781591845546. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  12. "Mick Jagger: He's Hot, He's Sexy and He's Alive". Rolling Stone. 24 November 1983. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  13. Room to Dream, By David Lynch and Kristine McKenna. Random House. 2018. ISBN 9780399589201. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  14. The Agency: William Morris and the Hidden History of Show Business, By Frank Rose. Harper Business. 1995. ISBN 9780887308079. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  15. "Debra Winger Drops Back In". The New York Times Magazine. 5 November 2010. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  16. "Name Dropping". Chicago Tribune. 7 December 2006. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  17. "CAA Loses Two Oscar Winners: Anthony Hopkins To Endeavor; Best Foreign Language Film Writer/Director To UTA". Deadline. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  18. Nicole Kidman, By David Thomson. Vintage Books (Random House). 2008. ISBN 9780307488794. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  19. "The $7 Million Man: Kurt Russell Earns Megabucks For His Starring Role In Stargate". Entertainment Weekly. 5 March 1993. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  20. "A Hollywood Power Couple's Tailored New York Apartment". Architectural Digest. 30 May 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  21. "Nicita Departs CAA for Morgan Creek". Variety. 29 July 2008. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  22. "Rick Nicita Speaks About Morgan Creek Exit". Deadline. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  23. "Rick Nicita Exiting Morgan Creek (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  24. "Sylvester Stallone Signs With Manager Rick Nicita". Yahoo! Lifestyle. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  25. "Hollywood Player Joins the Club on Broadway". The New York Times. 1 November 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  26. "Frances M. "Fran" Nicita, 88, died May 3". Portland Press Herald. 6 May 2009.
  27. Chris Nashawaty (2018). Caddyshack: The Making of a Hollywood Cinderella Story. Flatiron Books. p. 117. ISBN 9781250105974. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  28. "Documentary Shines Light On Wallis Nicita '67 and Other Great Casting Directors". Connecticut College. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  29. "Virginia H. 'Jean' Lindburg". The Washington Post. April 4, 1999. Survivors include two children, John Lindburg of Washington and Wallis Nicita of Los Angeles; two brothers; and two sisters.
  30. "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPPL-8P6 : 15 May 2014), Charles R Nicita and Wallis J, 14 Nov 1983; from "California Divorce Index, 1966-1984," database and images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : 2007); citing Los Angeles, California, Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento.
  31. "Tony-Winner Marissa Jaret Winokur To Perform At Garry Marshall Theatre 2nd Annual Founder's Gala". Broadway World (Los Angeles). 29 April 2006. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  32. "Fine Print: Tom Party". The Telegraph Online, India. 8 December 2006. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  33. "Are Power Couple Rick Nicita, Paula Wagner Going Into Business Together?". The Wrap. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  34. "The Trouble With Tom". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 April 2006. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
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