MCCRACKEN CURRICULUM VITAE | 1

CURRICULUM VITAE EDUCATION

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Jan. 2009—May 2013. M.F.A. in Film & Television Production Emphasis in Directing and Writing

• Directed, wrote, and produced over five short films.

BALL STATE UNIVERSITY Aug. 2006—May 2008. M.A. in Creative Writing

Teaching & Research Assistant • Taught multiple sections of English 103 and 104. • Organized and ran “Creative Writing in the Community,” wherein

English students helped underprivileged youth and the elderly express their stories in writing.

UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE Aug. 2002—Dec. 2005. B.A. in Creative Writing Emphasis in Mass Communication

Writer for The Crescent (the university’s newspaper) • Wrote monthly film reviews.

Assistant to Dr. William Baer, professor of English • Proofread, typed corrections, transcribed interviews.

Unique Academic Experiences • Studied in England for a semester at Harlaxton College. • Created an English independent study called “Scientific

Literature,” in which Dr. Robert Griffith and I studied the scientific writings of Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, and Brian Greene.

• Created an interdisciplinary, year-long course called “Writing & Directing the Feature Film.” Wrote and revised a feature screenplay through the English Deptartment; shot and edited the feature through the Mass Communications Department.

WORK EXPERIENCE

LIONSGATE ENTERTAINMENT Santa Monica, CA: Jan.—May 2012. Intern for Head of Production, Alli Shearmur • Script coverage and scheduling for Alli Shearmur.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Los Angeles, CA: Jan. 2010—May. 2013. Production Equipment Center • Managed equipment checkouts and returns.

DAVID MCCRACKEN

davidemccracken@gmail.com  MARITAL STATUS: SINGLE DATE OF BIRTH: 8 MARCH 1984 PLACE OF BIRTH: EVANSVILLE, IN CURRENT RESIDENCE: LOS ANGELES, CA

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NEVADA CONSERVATION CORPS (division of AmeriCorps) Reno, NV: May—Aug. 2007.

Field Engineer and Historian • Photographed and catalogued field projects. • Conservation work at Lake Tahoe, Ash Meadows, and Reno.

VALHALLA MOTION PICTURES Los Angeles, CA: May—Aug. 2003, May—July 2004.

Intern for producer Gale Anne Hurd • Pitched material to producer Gale Anne Hurd (Terminator, The

Walking Dead) and president Geoff Stier (Sense and Sensibility). • Script coverage, office management, and studio runs.

AWARDS

“BEST EMERGING FILMMAKER” ALEXIS AWARD 2013. Jury Prize, Palm Springs International ShortFest. • For my short film “OstrichLand.”

PHI KAPPA PHI STUDENT RECOGNITION AWARD 2013. $500, University of Southern California. • For my short science-fiction film “I Am Become Death,” in

demonstrating the moral complications of atomic weapons.

ALFRED P. SLOAN PRODUCTION GRANT 2012. $20,000, University of Southern California. • Film proposal demonstrated both excellence in storytelling and

the importance of science to the human condition.

JAMES BRIDGES SCHOLARSHIP FOR DIRECTING 2011. $12,500, University of Southern California. • One of the most prestigious awards given by the university for

excellence in directing.

THESIS RESEARCH GRANT 2007. $600, Ball State University. • Traveled to New Mexico and Texas to research my MA thesis, a trilogy of Western novels.

WRITTEN WORKS

THE BARNABY LEGACY Feature Screenplay, 2013. • Hired to write original screenplay for Lunacy Productions.

KILL THE LAST DRAGON Feature Screenplay, 2012. • Wrote and revised to fulfill my MFA thesis requirement at USC.

FAKE BEARD Short Film Screenplay, 2010. • Official selection of the USC BUSINESS FILM FESTIVAL, DC SHORTS FEST, and CHARLOTTE JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL.

ARTISTIC INTERESTS FAVORITE AUTHORS Robert Olen Butler • Michael Chabon • Michael Crichton • Stephen King • Jhumpa Lahiri • D.H. Lawrence • Flannery O’Connor • J.D. Salinger • George Saunders • John Steinbeck

FAVORITE BOOKS 1984 • The Catcher in the Rye • Cannery Row • Hearts in Atlantis • Into the Wild • Michael Crichton’s Travels • The Rainbow • To Kill a Mockingbird • Travels with Charley • Ulysses

FAVORITE FILMMAKERS P.T. Anderson • James Cameron • Joel & Ethan Coen • Francis Ford Coppola • David Fincher • Stanley Kubrick • Martin Scorsese • Steven Spielberg • Oliver Stone • Robert Zemeckis

FAVORITE FILMS 2001: A Space Odyssey • Aliens • Amadeus • Apocalypse Now • The Big Lebowski • Boogie Nights • The Departed • Jaws • Jurassic Park • Lawrence of Arabia • Masculin Féminin

FAVORITE BANDS / COMPOSERS Bob Dylan • Johnny Cash • Michael Giacchino • Led Zeppelin • Mozart • The Rolling Stones • Tchaikovsky • John Williams • Hans Zimmer

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A PARTING OF WAYS Short Story, 2007. • Official selection of PENSCAPE, Ball State University’s literary

conference.

VIRGINIA IN AMSTERDAM Short Story, 2006. • Official selection of the Practical Criticism Midwest Conference.

DIET Short Story, 2004. • Nominee for Association of Writers & Writing Programs Award.

THE TALE OF DON HOBÓTE Short Story, 2003. • Published in the University of Evansville Literary Journal.

THIS SINGLE LIFE Short Story, 2003. • Third Prize winner in the University of Evansville Writing Contest.

FILMS

OSTRICHLAND Director, 14 min. 2013. SYNOPSIS: A poignant comedy about two estranged brothers who

travel across the country in a truck full of their dead dad’s UFO memorabilia.

LINK: http://vimeo.com/davidmccracken/ostrichland PASSWORD: Bristol • 2013 Official Selection VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL,

WILLIFEST in Brooklyn, WHITELIGHTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL in Northern Ireland.

• 2014 Official Selection USC FIRST LOOK FILM FESTIVAL.

DAYLIGHT Director / Producer / Writer, 97 min. 2010—2013. SYNOPSIS: A supernatural thriller about a CPS team who

investigates a series of bizarre child abuse cases and discovers one girl may be demonically possessed.

• Independently raised a budget of $110,000. • Cast over 60 actors & shot in over 40 locations in the Midwest. • Official selection of LONDON FRIGHTFEST 2013. • “Best Thriller” winner at MOTOR CITY NIGHTMARES festival. • Currently on VOD in the UK; sales agent currently in talks with international and domestic distributors.

I AM BECOME DEATH Director / Writer, 6 min. 2009. SYNOPSIS: Dr. Robert Oppenheimer travels back in time to stop himself from creating the atomic bomb. LINK: http://vimeo.com/davidmccracken/atomicbomb PASSWORD: Failsafe

WE NEED TO TALK Director / Producer / Writer, 5 min. 2009. SYNOPSIS: A man and a woman who secretly hate each other are on the cusp of getting engaged. LINK: http://vimeo.com/davidmccracken/weneedtotalk

REFERENCES MARY LOU BELLI Multi-Cam directing instructor, USC.

JACK EPPS, JR. Head of Screenwriting Dept., USC. Taught Writing in Collaboration. Writer of Top Gun.

RICHARD KLETTER USC screenwriting instructor of my MFA thesis requirement course.

SEAN LOVELACE Head of Creative Writing Dept., Ball State. MA thesis advisor.

JOSH RIEDFORD Producer of numerous films I’ve directed, most notably our feature, Daylight.

PETER SIESENNOP Writing partner and producer of a short film I directed, “OstrichLand.”

JOHN WATSON Lead professor of Production III at USC, for which I directed “OstrichLand.” Producer of Backdraft and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.