Name: Nicholas Tana
Age: Old enough, yet, young enough, too.
Title: Writer, Producer, Director, Actor, Musician, Lover of Pies (especially, apple).
Married/Single: Single, technically (because we believe marriage is better as a matter of the heart; not a matter of law or economics) however, I have lived with my chosen life partner for eleven years now. She and I just had our first child!
Kids: one, Catalina.
City you live in: I divide my time between my home in Tempe, Arizona and my apartment in Los Angeles, California.
A typical day in my life includes…
writing, lots, and changing diapers.
I was born…
in New Jersey, along with Frank Sinatra, Bon Jovi, and the Toxic Avenger.
My favorite thing about Arizona…
is the wide open desert sky line, especially at night, which makes you feel like anything’s possible.
I’m listening to…
my mother because I’m Italian and so is she.
My family…
is like the blood inside my veins; they keep me going.
If I could have dinner with anyone, it would be…
Dr. Suess because I’d like to see him eat green eggs and ham for real.
One thing I cannot live without…
pizza, my guitar, and apple pie.
When I was younger, I wanted to be…
an archeologist, but that’s only because I liked Indian Jones. I also wanted to be like Stephen Spielberg and make movies, which I’ve done, and I still do. I suppose one out of two isn’t bad.
I’m inspired by…
those who show real compassion for others in everything that they do.
The one person who motivates me is…
my daughter Catalina because I want to be the best that I can be when I’m around her and hopefully make the world a better place for her too.
If I could change anything in the world, it would be…
to make compassion currency.
The perfect day would be…
somewhere on an island, near the ocean, with family, friends, good food, books, my guitar, and happy children laughing.
My first job was…
as a buss boy for a golf club restaurant, which was only good for the free food.
My favorite escape…
writing. Playing guitar, reading books and watching movies are all close behind.
My life…
is perfect, when I’m not complaining.
I’m currently working on…
several TV and film projects, a documentary on animal rights, and several children’s books because I like to keep busy.
Always…
follow your dreams or your dreams may follow you.
Never…
crane your neck to stare at road kill when riding into the sunset.
Favorite Quote…
“Don’t’ fit it when you are born to stand out” by Dr. Suess. However, I also really like this one by him too: “In my world, everyone’s a pony and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflies!”
Biggest Dream…
to make billions of people happy through my stories (especially, children).
My Pet Peeve(s)…
people that don’t signal when driving, a missed opportunity for clear communication, which can be downright dangerous; it’s selfish and rude – illegal, too!
More about Nicholas…
award-winning writer Nicholas Tana has been hired as a consultant for Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and NFL in addition to managing his own production and consulting company, Smart Media. In 2009, Tana created the successfully-zany children’s animation show, The Adventures of Bony Macaroni, distributed by Bejuba! Entertainment.
Tana shares his expertise as a public speaker by participating on entertainment panels at notable conferences and film festivals like Comic-Con, HollyShorts Film Festival, ScareLA, and The Sedona International Film Festival. Tana has most recently been hired by Disney Publishing to write a story about Snow White, as part of its 5 Minute Easter Stories, which will appear in 2020.
As a writer, producer, and director, he has just taken on his greatest role – father in October 2019 – just in time for his newly published children’s books. As CEO of the Tempe based production company, Smart Media, and the publishing company, New Classics Books, he loves to keep busy.
