HU: What brought you to screenwriting? How did your interest develop?  DD: I grew up cracking jokes, telling stories, and acting out skits in the family kitchen. Whether you’re editing, acting, writing or directing, storytelling comes from the same core concepts and that was developed early on for me as well as a vivid imagination. HU: What were a few of the highlights of your experience at Hollins? DD: Playing in a band – The Rewrites! Geoff Geib introduced me to Ryan Adams (we played “New York New York”) and I’ve never been the same! Ilan on Keys, Matt on lead guitar, Joe on base, and Geoff on rhythm guitar. That was pretty sweet! 

Being able to just get away from the normal world for 6 weeks and focus (mostly) on the craft of screenwriting and the Hollins community. Tim’s guest speakers were amazing. Taking notes from them and networking was great! Hollywoods. Ping Pong!!! HU: Tell us a little about your professional life to this point – how did you land the jobs and were they positive experiences? DD: When people ask me what I do, I tell them, “I split my time between being a University Film professor and a filmmaker.”  I am currently the Chair of Cinematic Arts at Lipscomb University, where I lead a grad program for Film MFA’s and an undergrad BFA in Film Production. Like all jobs in academia, there are good parts and bad parts. Since this is going online, I think I’ll shy away from listing the bad parts, but one of the amazing parts is – I take a group of my MFA’s to Cannes every year. That means, I get an all-expenses paid trip to the Cannes Film Festival every year! The food, the networking, the red carpets…the food! There are worse fates. I stay quite active in production.  I am the showrunner for a reality TV show called, “Soccer Moms” and am in post-production on the season, running a team of about a half dozen editors.  I’ve also been hired to write and produce a romantic comedy for a group out of London and Russia and this is a deal that sprouted out of meetings I had in Cannes over a year ago, which certainly speaks to the importance of being in the room with the right people. I’m planning on flying to Moscow and St. Petersburg within the month, to do location scouting, and yes, I’ve already started getting paid. HU: What was the experience like making Old Fashioned? How has it changed your professional life? DD: It took 12 years to put Old Fashioned out into theaters, which felt like it would NEVER happen! It was a total rollercoaster ride, which left some scars, and changed some relationships for both good and bad. This industry is tough, man!  Being a producer on a theatrically released feature has certainly changed my trajectory and the scope of what I get considered for and paid to do. For instance, this British/Russian film that I’ve been hired to write and produce, the conversation started because they were speaking to a friend of mine at Cannes and mentioned they were looking for an American producer who had a theatrical release under his belt. BINGO! I was immediately allowed in the pool of candidates because of the OF producing credit.  HU: Tell us about the next film you’re working on.  DD: I’m in the middle of working on the Russian/British Rom-com. It’s currently an independent film, but folks at Lionsgate are interested in seeing how it develops with an eye toward getting involved. I am developing a feature with an exec at Lionsgate, which is a crossover Latino Rom-Com. Cool thing is, I developed this script while I was at Hollins. I am in development on a TV show to be shot in Australia and the main showrunner is from Battle Star Gallactica. Two other key players are a seasoned line producer and a former Paramount VP.  It’s really exciting to be a part of for a few reasons: it’s historical fiction, the overall size of the budget, subject matter and, of course, some free trips to Oz!!! Would it be gauche to ask for a bloomin’ onion upon arriving in Sydney? I’ve got some other things in the works as well that I might be able to talk about in a month or so, but I have to keep things quiet for the moment. HU: What is your life like now after graduation? DD: Super busy, but the level of my career both academically and production-wise, continue to rise. Also, I get to spend summers with my family now as opposed to being gone for 6 weeks for school!  HU: Tell us about the Sunscreen Film Festival. I’m on the board of the Sunscreen Film Festival, which is a bi-coastal film fest and one of only 23 in the world with an Oscar sponsorship. We are known for our emphasis on Film education and were named one of the top 25 coolest film fests in the world by Moviemaker Magazine because of this emphasis. I am blessed to be the Education Director, so as a university Film prof, it’s a perfect fit for Sunscreen and me. We have a robust offering of panels and workshops, which have included major players in the industry (Mitch Bell, VP Marvel Studios, Victor Hsu, Producer of Transparent and Arrested Development, Ed Asner (UP), Patrick Warburton (Emperor’s New Groove), Ron Perlman (Hellboy), etc.). Coincidentally, last year, one of our screenwriting panels included Hollin’s profs: Goeff Geib, Kelly Fullerton and program director, Tim Albaugh. HU: Who was your favorite guest at Hollins? Or favorite screening. DD: Fave guest was Sean Sorenson, who works with Tim in production. Fave screening might have been Friends with Benefits – that was just a fun night and I think I won candy or something from the hat raffle thing. A Girl Walks Alone at Night, is up there as well.  HU: Is there a class you wish you would have taken while you were at Hollins? DD: I would’ve liked to have taken a sitcom writing course. Also, writing for animation could’ve been cool. HU: Do you have any advice for the current Hollins students?DD: If your plan is to teach and stay where you are, then do that. However, if your plan is to actually work in the industry as a professional screenwriter and/or filmmaker, then move to LA and start networking. You can begin by attending Sunscreen LA. I might know someone who can help with comp tickets… 

Bio:

Dave DeBorde is an award-winning filmmaker whose experience in the industry is long and varied. Dave has worked as a producer with legendary Hollywood producer William Gilmore (A Few Good Men), helped produce the award-winning short film The Least of These. In June of 2012, Dave directed the feature film romantic comedy Marriage Material. Dave was later hired the showrunner for the brand new reality TV show Soccer Moms, which is slated to broadcast regionally on network affiliates during primetime on Saturdays and is in negotiations for international distribution.Alongside his various directing and producing credits, Dave is also heavily involved in performing arts education, creating the wildly successful educational tracks for the Sunscreen Film Festival, which was rated by MovieMaker magazine as one of the world’s Top 25 Most Attractive Film Festivals as a result of the educational tracks. Dave was likewise instrumental in bringing notable attendees and track participants, such as actors John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, Grease), Bill Cobb (Night at the Museum) and other contributors like screenwriter Tim Sexton (Children of Men), casting director John Jackson (Sideways, About Schmidt, The Descendants), producers Sean Covel (Napoleon Dynamite), Ralph Winter (Wolverine), and Dean Batali (That 70’s Show). Dave is also the department chair of the Cinematic Arts at Lipscomb University and recently worked as producer of the successful independent romantic comedy Old Fashioned. Dave serves as the President of Soverignty Pictures and is the chief creative conduit responsible for the artistic direction of the company.