William Nicholson is an Academy Award Nominated Screenwriter, Playwright and Best Selling Novelist – He has received two Oscar Nominations for writing the films Gladiator & Shadowlands. William Nicholson was born in 1948, and grew up in Sussex and Gloucestershire. He was educated at Downside School and Christ’s College,... Read more
William Nicholson is an Academy Award Nominated Screenwriter, Playwright and Best Selling Novelist – He has received two Oscar Nominations for writing the films Gladiator & Shadowlands.
William Nicholson was born in 1948, and grew up in Sussex and Gloucestershire. He was educated at Downside School and Christ’s College, Cambridge, and then joined BBC Television, where he worked as a documentary film maker. There his ambition to write, directed first into novels, was channeled into television drama. His plays for television include Shadowlands and Life Story , both of which won the BAFTA Best Television Drama award in their year; other award-winners were Sweet As You Are and The March . In 1988 he received the Royal Television Society’s Writer’s Award. His first play, an adaptation of Shadowlands for the stage, was Evening Standard Best Play of 1990, and went on to a Tony Award winning run on Broadway. He was nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay of the film version, which was directed by Richard Attenborough and starred Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger.
Since then his film credits include: Sarafina, Nell, First Knight, Grey Owl , Gladiator (as co-writer, for which he received a second Oscar nomination), Elizabeth: the Golden Age, Les Miserables, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Unbroken, and Everest. He has written and directed his own film, Firelight; and four further stage plays, Map of the Heart, Katherine Howard, The Retreat from Moscow (which ran for five months on Broadway and received three Tony Award nominations), and Crash.
His fantasy novel for older children, The Wind Singer, won the Smarties Prize Gold Award on publication in 2000, and the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award in 2001. Its sequel, Slaves of the Mastery , was published in 2001, and the final volume in the trilogy, Firesong , in 2002. The trilogy has been sold in every major foreign market, from the US to China.
His second sequence of fantasy novels is called The Noble Warriors. The first book is Seeker (2005), the second book, Jango (2006) and the third book Noman (2007).
His love-and-sex novel for teens, Rich and Mad, was published in 2010.
His novels for adults are The Society of Others (2004), The Trial of True Love (2005), The Secret Intensity of Everyday Life (2009), All the Hopeful Lovers (2010) The Golden Hour (2011), Motherland (2013), Reckless (2014) and The Lovers of Amherst (2015).
William Nicholson is an inspiring speaker who likes to draw on the lessons and insights he has learned in his life as a writer, most of all in the brutal world of Hollywood. His rise to A-list writer has not been smooth, and his stories are as much of failure as of success. This has caused him to think long and hard about how it is possible to remain confident and creative when operating under pressure to deliver results. He sees Hollywood as an extreme example of a culture that can only achieve the financial success its investors demand by maximising the creative power of its talent pool. Too often exactly the opposite results are produced, when management by fear drives talent into hiding. His tales of personal experience over twenty years in Hollywood become parables of leadership, both good and bad.
William’s life as a writer has taught him not only the craft of story-telling, but the central role story-telling plays in our work and our lives. He’s fascinated by the way that re-describing a life can transform levels of satisfaction. We each have our own story, but these stories can be told in many ways.
William Nicholson has long experience of speaking to festivals and conferences. He is a relaxed, informal, funny and passionate speaker who will challenge audiences, inspire them and make them think differently.
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You can book William Nicholson through London Speaker Bureau by submitting the enquiry form on this page or calling our team. One of our consultants will respond promptly with William's current availability, speaking fees and any specific requirements for your event.
William Nicholson's speaking fees depend on the event format (in-person or virtual), the location, the length of the engagement and the level of customisation required. Please contact London Speaker Bureau for an up-to-date fee quote for William tailored to your event.
William Nicholson speaks on a range of business, leadership and industry subjects. Talks can be shaped around your audience, industry and strategic objectives - share your event brief with London Speaker Bureau and we will work with William to align the content with your delegates and goals.
London Speaker Bureau can book William Nicholson for events worldwide, subject to William's schedule. Please send us your event date, location and format and we will confirm availability and handle travel and logistics on your behalf.
Virtual and hybrid keynotes are now a standard part of the speaking industry. Please contact London Speaker Bureau to confirm whether William Nicholson is available to deliver a virtual session for your event and on which platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, a bespoke studio or your own).
Most keynote speeches run between 45 and 60 minutes, often followed by a 15-30 minute Q&A. Other formats - shorter conference slots, panel appearances or longer workshop sessions - may also be possible. Share your agenda with London Speaker Bureau and we will confirm what William can accommodate.
London Speaker Bureau will brief William Nicholson on your audience profile, sector and objectives so the keynote can be shaped around your event. The level of customisation possible depends on the speaker and the lead time - contact us with your brief and we will confirm what William can offer.
William Nicholson delivers keynotes in English. This profile may not list every language available; ask London Speaker Bureau to confirm. If you require simultaneous interpretation or a multilingual format, please mention this in your enquiry and London Speaker Bureau will arrange it for you.
William Nicholson's areas of expertise include a range of business, leadership and industry subjects. To get a clear sense of William's style, credentials and how they engage an audience, please review the biography, popular talks and any videos or testimonials shown on this page, or request a detailed speaker brief from London Speaker Bureau.
William Nicholson can be booked through London Speaker Bureau for corporate conferences, leadership events, internal team meetings, association gatherings and private client engagements where expertise in a range of business, leadership and industry subjects is relevant. Details of William's background and previous engagements are included in the biography above; contact us if you would like a more detailed list of past clients or case studies.
Beyond keynote speeches, many of the speakers on our roster also take part in workshops, executive masterclasses, panel discussions and fireside chats. Contact London Speaker Bureau with your preferred format and we will confirm what William Nicholson is able to offer alongside or instead of a keynote.
We generally recommend enquiring at least three to twelve months in advance to secure your preferred date with William Nicholson, particularly during peak conference seasons. Where possible we also accommodate shorter lead times - please contact London Speaker Bureau to check William's current availability for your dates.