Richard Endacott

Richard Endacott

Professor of Cinema & Screenwriting
Area of Focus: Cinematic Arts

Rick Endacott’s mantra is, “Story is everything and everyone has a story.”

As the founding member of the cinematic arts faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Endacott is a prolific screenwriter, producer and director. In 1993, he teamed up with Dana Altman (grandson of Robert Altman) and Dan Mirvish (Slamdance Festival founder) to produce Omaha: The Movie. The Endacott Altman relationship evolved into a business partnership and in 1994, they established North Sea Films, Inc. With North Sea, Endacott wrote and produced a variety of film and television projects, including the series pilot, Diggin’ In with Roger Welsch, the concert special Through the Music for David Crosby and two half-hour dramatic films on HIV/AIDS.

From 2001 through 2011, he produced and directed more than 30 titles in the Broadway Jr. and KIDS Collection series for Music Theatre International and Disney Theatricals. Endacott also produced two Carson School films, Viper in the Grass and DIGS. In 2013, Endacott’s work appeared at film festivals with a feature he wrote, produced and co-directed titled, Laurence.

Endacott started his career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln as a guest lecturer in the theatre department in August of 1999. Within a year, he had become the first film production faculty at the university. For the past twenty years, Endacott and his colleagues developed the Film and New Media emphasis from a handful of courses into a complete undergraduate program in the Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. “I miraculously had an opportunity few professors ever have – create a new undergraduate program. Over the years, the opportunity to educate students and watch as they chart successful careers has been one of the most gratifying parts of my life,” says Endacott.

Now, twenty years later, he has contributed to not only creating one undergraduate program, but two. For the past four years, Endacott has been actively involved in the development and launch of the Johnny Carson Center for Emerging Media Arts where he is a professor of cinematic arts. Endacott says, “Now is a terrific time to be engaged in the cinematic arts. With so many networks, streaming outlets, festivals and startups, the demand for talented storytellers has never been greater. Everyone who owns a smartphone has access to high-quality image making, so the challenge is to match the right technology to tell new stories.”

Endacott is a Nebraska native who holds a B.A. in Political Science from The Colorado College (1984) and an M.S. in Film Production from the Boston University School of Communication (1990). His early career highlights took Endacott from coast to coast. After earning his masters, Endacott moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a location manager before joining Quince Productions, Inc., a production company headed by actor and activist, Edward Asner and prior to graduate school, he interned with Archive Film Productions in New York, writing and directing television ads. As a graduate student, Endacott produced and directed the films Ice River Journal, One Saturday Morning and Growing Futures and he was also actively involved in the student-run production company, Film Unit.

Endacott says, “The most important part of the student journey often comes from the knowledge and experiences students share with one another. Filmmaking is a collaborative act of storytelling, with each creative participant adding their own personality and interpretation to the overall tale. Watching students come to this realization over the course of their education is a big part of what motivates me.”