Nicholas O’Hara‑Boyd is a Sydney‑based writer, development professional, and legal practitioner working across film and television.
A graduate of Bond University’s Bachelor of Film & Television and Juris Doctor programs, his work spans story development, writers’ rooms, production support, and media and entertainment law.
Nicholas has worked internationally in script development and assessment for companies including Kudos (UK), Next Wednesday Films (US), and Ballpark Film Distributors (UK). At Ballpark, he was commissioned to research and develop feature film projects, including an original work inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula, preparing development materials, pitch documents, and overarching story structures for producers and writing teams. In Australia, he has worked in an assortment of writers’ rooms for in‑house productions at companies such as Roadshow Rough Diamond and FremantleMedia Australia.
From 2018 to 2021, while based in London, Nicholas served as Head Writer at Simpleshow, an animation production company creating short‑form instructional and branded content for global clients including Coca‑Cola, Amazon, and McDonald’s. In this role, he led projects from brief through delivery, worked directly with stakeholders, and mentored writers across the company.
Nicholas is a long‑standing story assessor for the Australian Writers’ Guild, providing artistic, legal, and commercial feedback on film and television screenplays, and has served as a judge for the Guild’s Monte Miller Awards. He has also worked as a freelance director and producer, co‑financing and producing screen and music projects and drafting associated legal documentation.
In 2021, Nicholas completed Playlab Theatre’s Incubator program, a competitive, invitation‑only, year‑long development initiative in which writers worked closely with dramaturges to develop and draft full‑length theatrical works.
His original animated television project Piper was selected for Screen Queensland’s Creative Consultation program, where he collaborated with Bluey creator Joe Brumm, and received development funding through HOTA’s Rage Against the V(irus) initiative.
In 2024, Nicholas was invited to participate in ACE’s Television Drama & Comedy Script Coordinator Fundamentals Workshops, studying under industry veteran Terence McCarthy.
In 2025, Nicholas completed Scripted Ink’s Writer’s Internship Placement Program at StudioCanal, working across acquisitions, development, and distribution. His responsibilities included script coverage, content research, preparing comparables and financial materials, and supporting the company’s slate in preparation for the Berlin Film Festival.
Nicholas currently works within NBCUniversal’s APAC legal division, where he assists with drafting and reviewing film and television agreements, provides internal legal guidance, and supports rights management and Australian content quota compliance.
