Hudson Hickman thought he wanted to be an entrepreneur like his dad. But his interests led him to the theater department at Texas Tech instead: Act 1 of his show business career.

Header Photo: Hudson Hickman, Dolly Parton and Susan Hickman at the premiere of Dolly Parton’s “Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love.” 

It’s been a long time since Hudson Hickman took a dog that wasn’t his to the groomer.

But as a young professional looking to make his big break in show business, the eager “gopher assistant” and 1974 Texas Tech University theater alumnus from Mississippi saw leading a Hollywood producer’s pooches into the parlor as his best shot.

“I was 27 years old and had a master’s degree in theater, but I determined I would be the best taker-of-dogs-to-the-groomers he had ever seen,” he joked. 

Hickman stayed at it for the next decade as he gained experience and developed his skills. He had deepened his passion for theater while in Lubbock, immersed in what he describes as a well-respected, quality program where he could concentrate on performing art without having to worry about courses like science or language. He was challenged by faculty, staff and his peers to better his craft. He even landed his first union job as a stage manager and director at the Hayloft Dinner Theater. 

Hickman smiles when he thinks back to those days, driven by the advice his father had given him, to “Do what you enjoy doing, because if you’re working at a job you enjoy it doesn’t matter how much you’re paid – you’ll always enjoy your work.” 

With that advice, his father, an entrepreneur, thought his son might pursue a more business- or law-related career rather than theater. 

“I could tell that he didn’t like my decision to study theater,” Hickman admitted, “but he didn’t say anything because I was taking his advice.”

His father eventually changed his mind as Hickman’s work ethic propelled him to support himself. Working on “The Love Boat” gave him the opportunity to travel the world, and he spent his time on the set of “MacGyver” directing scenes filled with special effects, stunts, boats and helicopters.

He spent years working with several companies, including Aaron Spelling Productions, Columbia Pictures Television, Paramount Television and MGM Worldwide Television – where he became the senior vice president of production in 2000. 

But after 39 years in Los Angeles, and an accomplished career, Hickman felt called back to his roots in Mississippi.  

“I thought, ‘Well, I’ve done what I wanted to do in my career, and I think I’m ready for something different,’” he said. “I love my work, and we had a great life in Los Angeles, but I thought, ‘There’s more to life than Los Angeles.’”

It turns out his small-town life didn’t mean a lull in his professional aspirations, though. It was there that he landed the opportunity to produce for an icon (who also worked her way up from the bottom).  

Producing for Dolly Parton 

Hickman can remember as a teen hopping off a mower and escaping from the scathing summer rays, plopping onto the couch to watch Dolly Parton on “The Porter Wagoner Show.” 

“If you had told me when I was 17 years old that one day I would work with Dolly Parton, I would’ve thought, ‘You’re crazy!’” he remembered with a laugh. 

After a meeting with his longtime friend and fellow Mississippian, Sam Haskell, Hickman was invited to produce movies based on Dolly Parton’s songs. 

“[Hickman] and I have known each other since we were young tykes growing up in the business,” Haskell said around that time. “He was in production, I was a talent agent and we became instant friends. I got this opportunity with my longtime friend and partner, Dolly Parton, and the only person I wanted to work on this with was [Hickman]. Working with someone like [Hickman], who can do anything, just makes my job a lot easier.”

In 2015, the duo finished their inaugural project: a made-for-television dramatic film titled “Coat of Many Colors” based on Dolly’s hit song written about her childhood as one of 12 children raised in poverty in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Her mother took a box of donated, colorful rags and stitched together a coat for Dolly while sharing the biblical tale of Joseph and his coat of many colors. 

She proudly wore her new coat to school, only to be met with snickers from her classmates. It was one of several painful memories experienced during her childhood, but the family ultimately leaned on each other and their faith to persevere through challenges. 

“I’m really proud of what we accomplished with that first, beautiful, sentimental movie about an episode in her childhood,” Hickman shared. “When it aired, it was the most-watched film on any major broadcast network in nearly four years and NBC promptly ordered a sequel. So, that really got us started.”

Haskell and Hickman would go on to produce 12 Dolly Parton movies, four of which were nominated for Emmy Awards and one which won for Outstanding Television Movie in 2021: “Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square,” a full-on musical for Netflix that starred Dolly and featured 14 original songs written by her. 

It was one of many recognitions Hickman earned over the years, including six Christopher Awards and even a Distinguished Alumnus designation from his alma mater. 

“It’s not a surprise that Hudson Hickman has won so many honors in the world of theater and television,” said Mark Charney, director of the School of Theatre & Dance. “Although I was not fortunate enough to be director when he was a student, as an alumnus of Texas Tech, his passion for creating and producing theater while earning his master’s with us indicated not only a hard-working and dedicated student, but someone who valued collaboration, embraced community and valued the human spirit.” 

Hickman remains humble, having never considered earning such achievements this late in his career. But he only had to look at Dolly to realize his ambitions don’t have to slow with age. 

“Dolly was a true writer,” he recalled. “She wrote every day. She would get up very early in the morning when it was quiet, around 4 o’clock, and write as well as meditate and pray. She would tell you that she had written over 3,000 songs and recorded more than 400, and I don’t doubt it. She was very disciplined in that way.”

He was devastated by the news that shocked most of the world, when Dolly passed away on August 25. To him, she still had so much life to live. 

Hickman fondly pictures the stark contrast of how Dolly wore shimmering ensembles but still spoke of her coat of rags, never forgetting where she came from. He, too, remembers leading dogs to the groomer, unsure of his path forward but determined to make it big.  

It keeps him dreaming with Haskell – undisclosed projects that Hickman can’t wait to launch next year. 

“When I recognized that the role I wanted in a production was to be the producer, however unattainable it seemed to be at the time, there was nothing that was beneath me. As I was launching my career, I’d never say, ‘Well, I’m not going to do that. I have a master’s degree in theater,’” Hickman said. “I think it’s important to really be focused on what it is that you want to do, then make decisions in service of that goal. Be willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve it.”