Rankin Hickman was born and raised in Mississippi. After a couple of years at the University of Southern Mississippi, he left Mississippi to find work in the film industry. Eventually landing in New Orleans in 1998, he worked as a production assistant on pilots, tv movies, and commercials before moving up to production coordinator and production supervisor on features, all while continuing to write and develop his own stories.
He is married to the production designer, Christina E. Kim, and is a father of two.