JAY NELSON - Partner
jay@nicework.tv

In more than two decades with public television, Jay Nelson mastered the trick of producing high-quality, innovative programs on lean budgets. Local, statewide and national series and stand-alone programs he created and executive produced received numerous local, regional and national awards in addition to garnering favorable attention from critics, cultural organizations and viewers alike.

Jay takes an entrepreneurial approach to production, pulling together coalitions of sponsors and community and arts organizations with complementary strengths and goals in a wide variety of projects. His integrity, discipline, fairness and good judgment, combined with a track record of attracting and working productively and harmoniously with great creative talent, have resulted in a long string of successful programs that not only did what they set out to do, but had everybody still speaking to one another at the end. Series and stand-alone programs he created and executive produced have received numerous local, regional and national awards in addition to garnering favorable attention from critics, cultural organizations and viewers alike.

Jay created and co-executive produced the highly successful sports documentary Michigan Football Memories which took a unique approach to telling the story of the culture of Michigan football – going beyond the players, coaches and athletic directors to include the band, the fans, the fight songs and the broadcasters. Former University of Michigan Athletic Director Don Canham – whose marketing genius began a string of sell-out home games that started in the late sixties and continues to this day – said, “Michigan Football Memories is the best thing I’ve seen on Michigan football – bar none.”

So no matter what the subject, genre or style of your idea, Jay and the team at Nice Work can help you put together a project that will be attractive to funders and high quality no matter what your budget might be.



JIMMY RHOADES - Partner
jimmy@nicework.tv

Conveying stories to audiences has been the single constant in Jimmy Rhoades’ nearly two-decade career in the television and entertainment industry.

Jimmy began as a stand-up comedian, touring America with a constantly evolving act. Comedy led to television, as he was invited to bring his unique brand of humor to such venues as Star Search, The MTV Half-Hour Comedy Hour, and Comedy Central.

The skill set of stand-up lent itself to on-camera hosting, for which Jimmy won three Emmy Awards for his work on Public Television. Soon, he extended his talents behind the camera, writing and producing field segments and studio-based sketches.

Along the way, his critically recommended stand-up play, Bark Like a Comic, enjoyed an extended run at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater. In its review of the play, The Chicago Tribune raved that Jimmy was “a cracklingly funny speedball on and off stage!”

On the TV front, segment production grew to include all aspects of pre-production, field and studio production, overseeing post to delivery, and even off-lining his own work. Segment production led to series production, beginning with Detroit’s multiple Emmy Award-winning arts and entertainment series Backstage Pass.

During a six-year stretch in Los Angeles, Jimmy entertained America as a producer on shows such as The Bachelor: Special Edition and Average Joe III. As the Director of Development of a mid-sized production company, Jimmy regularly pitched all the major buyers, and sold several reality concepts and animation into cable development. Several more programs developed under his aegis survived the rigors of the network development slate to make air.