Nicky Hawthorne

Head of Operations @ Cairns Health

About

I’m the Head of Operations at Cairns Health, a Khosla Ventures-backed AI company, where I partner with the CEO and President to drive priorities, align teams, and ensure execution across the business.I operate across product, engineering, and GTM to move critical initiatives forward, especially in ambiguous, fast-moving environments. I’ve stood up and scaled our DTC motion, built core operating systems, driven partnerships, and created feedback loops between customers, product, and engineering.Known for bringing structure to ambiguity, I’m effective when priorities shift by aligning stakeholders, surfacing tradeoffs, and pushing execution forward.Before startups, I was a WGA writer and producer. I co-wrote and produced a $4M feature film distributed by Open Road, staffed on a hit action TV series, and developed projects with major studios and A-list talent. That background trained me to take nothing and turn it into something, building ideas from 0→1.

Country

United States

City

Santa Monica

Industry

Entertainment

Skill

Cross Functional Relationships, Business Operations, Process Creation, Healthcare Operations Management, HealthTech Operations, Operational Strategy, Leadership, Storytelling, Story, Sarah Biane, Scriptwriting, Scripting, Writing, Brand Storytelling, Film Production, Feature Films, Film, Television, Screenwriting, Commercials

Experience

Head of Operations

Cairns Health

2025-3 - Present · 1 yr 6 mos

Head of Operations at a Khosla-backed AI company, partnering directly with the CEO and President to turn strategy into execution across the business. Thrives in fast-moving, ambiguous environments, building systems from scratch and driving outcomes end-to-end. Known for stepping in wherever needed and carrying initiatives through with intensity and follow-through.

Operations Lead

Cairns Health

2024-2 - 2025-3 · 1 yr 2 mos

Los Angeles, CA

Television & Feature Writer (WGA)

Writers Guild of America West

2015-11 - 2024-8 · 8 yrs 10 mos

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

Feature Film: - Co-writer: The Tank: HBO. Thriller. - Writer: Developed an original feature film with Oscar winner Casey Affleck’s Sea Change Media. - Writer: Hired to write an indie feature film for director Ben Rehki. Based on a true story. TV: - Staff writer: Season 2 of the action tv series Ice. Now avail on Starz. - 20th Century Fox Television Studios: Developed an original, female-led action tv series. - Fox 21 Television Studios: Developed an original, female-led action tv series. - Mandy Moore's Roll with the Punches Productions: Developed an original, female-led action tv series. - Morgan Freeman's Revelations Entertainment: Developed an original, female-led action tv series. - EP Gina Mingacci (KILLING EVE): Developed an original comedy series. Think Fleabag but American. - Radical Media: Developed an original drama tv series. - Anonymous Content: Developed an original, female-led action tv series. - Showrunners: Nicole Yorkin, Dawn Prestwich. Developed an original true crime, tv series. - Showrunner: Ed Bernero: Developed an original, female-led action tv series. - Showrunner: Felicia D. Henderson: Developed an original, female female-led action tv series. - Showrunner: Dailyn Rodriguez: Developed an original series. - Showrunner: Kenny Smith Jr.: Developed an original dramedy series. - Showrunner: Kyle Long: Developed an original, true crime series. Rep: CAA, 3 Arts, Jackoway. WGA women's committee vice-chair turned co-chair.

Actor (SAG-AFTRA, AEA)

SAG-AFTRA

2007-5 - 2015-6 · 8 yrs 2 mos

United States

National commercials: - Verizon (opposite SNL's Kate McKinnon) - Petco - Applebee's - Best Buy - Burger King - Target - Rosetta Stone Voiceover: -Lego -Famous Footwear -Target -Best Buy -Burger King Movies: - Mom's Night Out (Sony) - The Tank (Open Road) Theatre: - National Tour of Fish the Musical (Alyssa) - Rocky Horror Picture Show (Magenta) @ The Ordway Center - Grey Gardens (Little Edie u/s) @ The Ordway Center - She Loves Me (u/s to Tony winner Jessie Mueller) @ Writers Theatre - Tony & Tina's Wedding (female swing) @ Lowry Theatre - A Servant's Christmas (Monica) @ History Theatre - Girls vs. Boys (Lane) @ House Theatre of Chicago - My Way (female lead) @ Northern Lights Playhouse - The Last Five Years (Cathy u/s) @ B Street Theatre SAG-AFTRA member.

Education

Illinois Wesleyan University

Roles included The Witch in Into the Woods, Pennywise in Urinetown and Magenta in Rocky Horror Picture Show. Directed the musical Oedipus Tex with a cast and crew of 35.

Moscow Art Theatre School

Intensive immersive conservatory education at the most prestigious and well respected drama institution in the world, Stanislavsky's The Moscow Art Theatre School. Lessons consist of singing, dancing, acting, improvisation and script interpretation. When not in rehearsal, students attend ballet, opera, and theatre, and discuss/present talks on the performances.