Hank Nelken was born in Greenville, Mississippi, a city that would later inspire his creative endeavors. His interest in filmmaking was sparked at a young age, influenced by his parents' involvement in local theater productions. By the sixth grade, Nelken was already producing his own video projects, enlisting the help of neighborhood kids in exchange for cold cuts. This early passion for filmmaking continued to grow, and by the seventh grade, he had started a video business, shooting weddings and Bar Mitzvahs to fund his equipment needs.
Nelken's creative endeavors culminated in his acceptance to the prestigious USC School of Cinema-Television. During his time at USC, he directed numerous short films, including "Let's Do Love," a critically acclaimed social satire that premiered at the USC First Look Festival. Upon graduating film school, Nelken wrote and directed "Fifteen Minutes," a short film that received rave reviews.
After partnering with writer Greg DePaul, Nelken and Depaul wrote a television pilot for Fox, rewrote two studio features, and sold four original screenplays, including "Saving Silverman," which was released in 2001. The duo parted ways amicably, and Nelken went on to write "Mama's Boy," a spec screenplay that was purchased by Warner Brothers in 2003.
In addition to "Mama's Boy," Nelken was also given a blind deal by Warner Brothers and Revolution Studios bought his pitch for a remake of the classic Cary Grant comedy "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House." The film, which starred Steve Carr and was titled "Are We Done Yet?," was released in 2007. Nelken's subsequent projects included a short film starring Zachary Quinto for Funny or Die, which opened the Hollyshorts Film Festival in 2010.
Currently, Nelken is packaging his spec screenplay "We Love You Guys" with RCR Pictures producing, and is shopping a remake of "Outlaw Blues" for Warner Bros. with Donald Petrie directing.
