This is a ghost-written memoir of one of the last remaining Big Band Leaders of the Great American Songbook. Jack Melick was active for more than 70 years as leader of his own big band and player. He had an extensive musical background, primarily in Japan, Reno, and Hollywood and eventually made Dallas his home base. Unfortunately, Jack passed in 2022, but his legend lives on.
NICHOLAS (NICK) LAVECCHIA
- Parker, United States
- 3 projects
I’ve spent over 40 years in media production, with about 30 years in hands-on production and the last decade in the classroom.
About
I’ve spent over 40 years in media production, with about 30 years in hands-on production and the last decade in the classroom. I’ve written speeches and presentations for C-level executives, managed and produced hundreds of video and print projects, shot photography, planned media live events, and created a range of print publications from newsletters to training manuals. I’ve also managed budgets, staff, and communications plans—delivering all projects on time, on budget, and with top-tier customer service.
I shifted careers to pursue Texas alternative certification and became certified as a 4-8 Generalist, 8-12 Social Studies, 7-12 Journalism, and 4-12 ESL Supplemental. Recently I retired from the classroom and re-opened my consulting/creative practice, looking for the next exciting project and collaboration opportunity.
- Joined May 2026
Languages
- EnglishFluent
- FrenchBeginner
- GermanBeginner
Industry experience
- Media & Entertainment
- Education
- Professional Services
- Other
Projects · 3
It’s the story of Ranger, Texas, in 1919-1920— a story of a fever that broke the frontier. We begin with the sudden, jagged forest of wooden derricks, replacing the dust and horse-trading of the recent past. This is the transition from the agrarian to the industrial, where the quiet of the plains is replaced by the rhythmic, mechanical thumping of cable-tool rigs. It is a "New Jerusalem,” as the novelist narrator and voice of the production, describes the foundation of mud and greed, where the land itself begins to bleed. This film captures that precise, violent hinge of history when the open range was traded for a grid of iron and timber. Visually, the film lives in the contrast between the pristine and the polluted. I see a world defined by "Black Rain"—the iridescent, oily mist that coats every surface, from the white linen collars of the corrupt to the calloused skin of the roughnecks. The palette is one of deep, soot-stained earth and the orange glare of gas flares burning against a violet Texas twilight. We will lean into the sensory assault of the boomtown: the smell of raw petroleum, the bone-deep vibration of the drills, and the claustrophobia of a town that grew too fast to breathe. It is an "Industrial Gothic" landscape where the machines are as imposing and terrifying as the lawless men they attracted. At the heart of this chaos is Byron Parrish, the newly hired chief of police and a former Texas Ranger— a man of the old guard forced to navigate a new kind of lawlessness. In the "Roaring Ranger" era, the villain isn't just one gunman; it is a system of corruption hidden within a "Black Book" of names. Parrish is the "Wolf" among "Coyotes," a stoic presence in a town addicted to sudden wealth. This project is the culmination of decades of immersion in the Boyce House legacy, a prolific chronicler of the time, and the archives of the Ranger Daily Times. It is a regional epic rooted in the specific grit of Eastland County and the city of Ranger, seeking to honor the ghosts of the boom by showing the human cost of the oil that won World War I and launched Texas into the epicenter of the oilfield economy. pdf article pitchdeck graphicdesigner animator illustrator videoeditor resume
- Screenplay Writer
The attached PDF showcases almost 40 years of writing accomplishment.
- Writer
Work experience· 11 roles
Training Dev Project Manager · Voyager Expanded LearningJan 2016 – Dec 2022 · 7 yrs
Re-established contract work in the same role, editing and revising training manuals; contributed to award-winning reading and math intervention materials for K-12.
Writer / Producer · THEWRITEHOUSEDec 2011 – Present · 15 yrs
Accomplished writer, video producer/director, photographer, and event AV producer with over 30 years of experience; led teams of various sizes, maintained long-standing vendor relationships, and served as a certified Texas educator during this period.
Director AV and Event Production · Ambit EnergyJan 2007 – Dec 2012 · 6 yrs
Led in-house agency creative team delivering print, online, and AV deliverables for a fast-growing retailer; built marketing communications and creative services into a strategic service bureau.
Freelance Videographer / Editor · Dallas, TXDec 2004 – Dec 2004 · 1 mo
Video Communications Director · Sedco ForexDec 2004 – Dec 2004 · 1 mo
Manager, AV Communications · Verifone, Inc.Dec 2004 – Dec 2004 · 1 mo
Writer / Director · BDM InternationalDec 2004 – Dec 2004 · 1 mo
Manager, Broadcast Communications · Excel CommunicationsDec 2004 – Dec 2004 · 1 mo
Education
B.S. in Broadcasting; Minor in Theatre Arts · University of Florida1976 – 1980
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