by Chris Denson
I first met Kerry when I was the Marketing Director at the New York Film Academy. At the time, I booked her as a guest speaker along with writer/director, Brian Herzlinger to talk to our students about real life in Hollywood and screened one of their recent projects, “My Date With Drew.” A few lunches, phone calls and now years later, Kerry (and Brian for that matter) has become one of my absolute favorite people in the enertainment industry. She’s smart, dynamic, has an incredible energy, and is great at what she does. With that said, we are proud to have Kerry David as part of the Genius Effect Advisory Board.
About Kerry David:
KERRY DAVID (Producer) has produced such hits as Agent Cody Banks and Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London. She most recently produced the award winning Like Dandelion Dust, starring Mira Sorvino, Barry Pepper and Cole Hauser for 20th Century Fox. Dandelion was adapted from a New York Times best-selling novelist by Oscar nominated screenwriter Stephen J Rivele (Ali, Nixon). Dandelion was named Best of the Fest at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January 2009.
Her multiple award winning documentary; My Date with Drew was made with a budget of only $1,100 and had a worldwide, theatrical release, selling domestically for $650,000, and grossing over $8,000,000 worldwide. Drew won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the HBO Comedy Arts Festival, against such films as Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State and Supersize Me. Drew also won the Best Feature Award at the New York Gen Art Film Festival, Best Documentary at the Vail Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Feature, the Gellar/Devonport Award for Best Feature and the Grand Jury Award for Best Feature at the Sonoma Valley Film Festival. Drew also received a “Special Mention” at the famed Locarno Film Festival; arguably the most prestigious documentary film festival today and was named the fourth most profitable movie of all time based on a budget to revenue comparison by an independent study.
In 2006 David produced Perfect Romance for Lifetime Television Network, written by Allison Burnett (Untraceable, Fame). Her next project partnered her with two of the top ten golfers in the world to produce Expert Insight: Short Game Golf with Jim Furyk & Fred Funk which won the 2007 Telly Award for Outstanding Instructional Content and Cinematic Excellence.
Before starting her own production company she spent three years working for, and traveling with, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman on such films as Portrait of a Lady, Peacemaker, Practical Magic, The Blue Room, Without Limits, Mission Impossible: 2 and as she refers to it her “13 months in film school with Stanley Kubrick” on Eyes Wide Shut. David also Co-produced the award winning, special edition DVD of The Usual Suspects: Roundup: Deposing the Usual Suspects.
Kerry David's social network for filmmakers
In 2001 David founded www.IndieProducer.net (iP), a social networking community that helps educate and support new and emerging filmmakers. With a current member base that reaches 60,000 filmmakers worldwide, iP provides information, resources, entertainment news, interviews, education, and offers an annual screenwriting and short film contest to its members. iP promotes networking opportunities that connect new & emerging filmmakers with established working professionals and rewards them at an Annual iP Awards Gala at the Writer s Guild Theatre in Beverly Hills, so far iP has honored such notable filmmakers as Jon Favreau, Bill Paxton, Andy Garcia and Michael Rapaport.
David has been a guest speaker, panelist, and moderator at film festivals and film summits all over the world. She speaks at colleges, schools and writing groups to encourage and support new and emerging filmmakers. She is a voting member of BAFTA (British Academy of Film & Television) and the PGA (Producers Guild of America) and a mentor for Step Up, a national network dedicated to strengthening community resources for women and girls.
