Nicol Paone

Hello, I’m a director, writer, producer, & copywriter, who gravitates toward stories with humor, heart, and something to say. I started out at Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Funny or Die, where I earned a Webby Award and an Environmental Media Award nomination while making climate-change content with the Obama Administration. From there, I wrote and directed advocacy pieces for the Hillary Clinton campaign before moving into features. My debut film, Friendsgiving—produced by Ben Stiller—was released in 2020 and hit number one on Apple, Fandango, and Redbox. I followed it up with The Kill Room, starring Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson, distributed by Shout Studios and Universal Pictures Worldwide. As a producer, my projects include Lurker, which made a splash at Sundance 2025 and sold to Mubi and Focus Features, and Gus Van Sant’s Dead Man’s Wire, which premiered at Venice, screened at TIFF, and was acquired by RowK for worldwide release.
My background is in improv and stand-up, which means I’m always looking for the truth inside the comedy and for characters who get to be rich, layered, and fully human. I’m currently in pre-production on my third feature, the female sports comedy Bulldog Barb, produced by Va Bene Productions, She Ready Productions, and Bradley Pilz, and starring Tiffany Haddish and Snoop Dogg. I’m excited to bring this world, and this character, to life.