[1][2] Ficarra attended St. John Vianney High School in Holmdel Township, New Jersey.

[3] Ficarra met John Requa at Pratt Institute, where both were studying film.

[4] After college Requa and Ficarra went to work in animation for the TV channel Nickelodeon.

In 2009 they made their directorial debut with their self-penned I Love You Phillip Morris, based on the life of con man Steven Jay Russell.

For their writing on this film, Ficarra and Requa received a nomination for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.