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David Paterson| Writer-Producer

An Award-winning playwright and screenwriter, David has penned over two-dozen plays, 12 of which are published through Samuel French, Inc. His works have been performed on Broadway, Off Broadway and throughout the world. He is the only playwright ever to have three plays premiere on the New York City stage in one month.

In 2005 David began writing for film. He adapted his play FINGER PAINTING IN A MURPHY BED into a screenplay and produced it. As LOVE, LUDLOW, the film premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews; “Another Sundance treasure!” Roger Ebert reported. David sold the film to The Sundance Channel, Starz Channel and Warner Home Video. LOVE, LUDLOW was one of the few success stories of Sundance 2005. The screenplay was nominated for the HUMANITAS award for excellence in screen writing. David has written for The New York Times, Moviemaker Magazine, Filmmaker magazine, and IndieSlate, among others.

David’s second feature, Disney’s BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA, was one of the most successful studio releases of 2007. His latest short, OPEN AIR, starring MUNICH’s Lynn Cohen, won numerous awards on the festival circuit and will premiere with Shorts International in 2014. David’s films haven been seen in over 100 festivals worldwide.

David’s latest film, THE GREAT GILLY HOPKINS, starring Glenn Close, Octavia Spencer, Kathy Bates and Danny Glover is currently in preproduction with filming beginning in NYC next month. Through his own production company, Arcady Bay Entertainment, he is currently at work on two other major family market adaptations ““ THE FLINT HEART, and MY FINAL ANSWER, with Steve Jones’ Beeholder productions (YOU DON’T KNOW JACK).

David is a professional stuntman, an adjunct professor of screenwriting for NYIT of Manhattan, and serves on the Film Advisory Board for the Savannah, Gold Coast and Big Apple Film Festivals. David has served as a panelist for numerous film festivals in the U.S. and abroad, and is in great demand as a guest lecturer and motivational speaker at colleges, Universities and writer symposiums, most recently lecturing at the RIO IFF in Brazil.

David is a fireman with the Manhasset Lakeville Fire Department and his memories as a 9/11 rescue worker were published in the novel 911-Book of Help, with his royalties going to scholarships for children who lost parents in the tragedy.