Producer and former Great Neck resident Mason Novick said he is proud of his latest movie — “Ricki and the Flash” —because it accomplishes what movies should: entertain its viewers.
“I’m proud of this movie and I think it turned out really well,” Novick said. “The point, to me, in why you make these movies is to entertain people and I think this one does a pretty good job of that.”
While he is surrounded by stars and celebrities of the entertainment industry, Novick said, he remains close to the area of his childhood, Great Neck.
Novick moved to Great Neck from Chicago when he was two and remained there until the age of 13, when his parents divorced and he moved back to Chicago to live with his mother.
“Great Neck’s been a part of my life even after I left,” Novick said. “I used to come back for weeks at a time, and still would until my dad moved into the city about five or six years ago.”
The movie, which stars Meryl Streep, has grossed over $20 million in the box office since its release on Aug. 7, according to Box Office Mojo, an affiliate of popular movie website IMDb.com.
“People that I’ve talked to seem to really enjoy it, and they seem to like the music, and they seem to like Meryl, and they seem to like the family story, so I’m very happy with it and I think it’s good that people are enjoying it,” Novick said.
Novick is a longtime member of the movie industry.
After graduating college at the University of Arizona in 1997, he moved to Los Angeles and got his first job as a literary agent’s assistant at talent and literary agency International Creative Management.
A couple of years later he got a promotion to become an agent.
His career as an agent only lasted a couple of years until he got fired, which Novick said was not the worst the thing to happen.
“Everyone always jokes that I am the only person to ever get fired from there,” Novick said. “But it just wasn’t my calling in life.”
After life as an agent, Novick got into talent management and movie producing.
His first major film, “Red Eye” (2005), starring Rachel McAdams, was a box office hit, grossing over $57 million in revenue during a three-month period, according to Box Office Mojo.
Following the success of “Red Eye,” Novick developed a working relationship with Brook Busey-Maurio, better known by her pen name Diablo Cody.
“She used to write a blog, and I always thought her blog was funny,” Novick said. “So I called her up and asked, hey, you ever think about writing a script?”
Cody went on to write the script for “Juno” (2007), which Novick produced. “Juno” received national recognition and went on to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Motion Picture.
Though Novick’s film did not win, he said it was an awesome experience to be involved at such a prestigious award show.
“Look, I would’ve preferred to win, who wouldn’t? But just being nominated for an Academy Award is awesome,” Novick said. “All the rest of them I want to win, but its pretty great to get to go to the show and be there with everybody. We were in the 3rd row, it was crazy.”
“I know it seems so obnoxious when people say it’s an honor to be nominated, but for an Academy Award, it really is,” Novick added.
After losing out to “No Country for Old Men” at the Academy Awards, “Juno” did win the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Film, which Novick said is an important award for independent films in the business.
“It’s a great organization because they actually give recognition to a lot of independent movies,” Novick said. “In Juno’s case it did not need recognition to get noticed, but a lot of movies that don’t get big recognition do need the Independent Spirit Awards, so I think it’s a good award show.”
Novick went on to produce more nationally popular films including “500 Days of Summer” (2009), “Jennifer’s Body” (2009), and of course “Ricki and the Flash.”
Although he now lives in Los Angeles, Novick said he still remains close with his childhood friends.
“I still keep in touch with a lot of people there,” Novick said.
One of Novick’s closest friends is the Chief of the Great Neck Vigilant Engine & Hook & Ladder Co., Josh Forst.
The two met in Kindergarten at the Elizabeth Mellick Baker School.
“I’ve known him since like forever, since like Kindergarten,” Novick said. “Josh and his wife were actually at the city premiere of “Ricki and the Flash” with me.”
Now Novick works for his own company, MXN Entertainment, in West Hollywood.
But he admits that his early upbringing helped bring him to where he is today.
“I feel like it was a great place to grow up and I definitely look at it as big part of my growing up,” he said.
