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About Dave

(The One Where I Write in Third Person)

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David B. Holton (Dave) is a creative polymath who has excelled in writing, photography, filmmaking, & theatre. His diverse portfolio includes publishing short fiction, penning scripts for both screen & stage, & writing articles for travel magazines. Dave has consulted on screenplays for studios & talent agencies, performed on-stage for live theatre audiences, & produced long-form YouTube content that has attracted millions of viewers. Recent career highlights include winning “Best Mockumentary Microfilm” at the Austin Comedy Film Festival, being named an “Emerging Voice in Fiction” by Oyster River Pages, & portraying Captain Arthur Barlowe in The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama.

Dave leverages a wide-ranging combination of education & practical experience to maximize his impact as a writer, visual storyteller, & creative producer. His education encompasses an extensive self-study curriculum across the arts, a Certificate of Producing for Film & Television from UCLA-Extension, an MBA in Marketing & Entrepreneurship from UNC Chapel Hill, & a BSc in Civil Engineering from North Carolina State University. His diverse background includes roles as a field engineer on bridge construction projects and as a management consultant advising Fortune 500 company leaders.

Dave’s eclectic portfolio showcases his passion for storytelling across various mediums & his knack for combining creative expression with entrepreneurial innovation. His work is driven by a commitment to excellence & a desire to push the boundaries of traditional storytelling.

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Notable Achievements

Writing & Visual Storytelling Achievements

• Filmmaker: Wrote, directed, acted in, & edited a zero-budget short film during the pandemic that won “Best Mockumentary Microfilm” at the Austin Comedy Film Festival & “Outstanding Achievement” at the Berlin Flash Film Festival.
• Theatre Actor: Played the lead role of Sergeant Trotter in Theatre of Dare’s 2022 run of Agatha Christie’s “The Mouse Trap.” Played Captain Arthur Barlowe & several Ensemble Cast roles in The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama 2021 season (70+ shows from May to August).
• Photographer: Specialize in Headshots, Portraits, Personal Branding, Behind-the-Scenes, Special Events, & Documentary. Recently published work in issues of F-stop Magazine.
• Fiction Writer: Published magical realism short story in September 2020 “Oyster River Pages” literary magazine (was named an “Emerging Voice in Fiction”).
• Screenwriter: Finished top 10% in 5 major screenplay contests. Feature film screenplay currently ranked in the top 10% of all Adventure Screenplays on Coverfly.com.
• Journalist & Copywriter: Wrote features for “Milepost Magazine” from 2018-20 & advertorials/advertisements for “Outer Banks This Week” magazine from 2017-18.

Creative Producing & On-Set Production Achievements

• Creative Producer: produced a series of long-form YouTube Videos (~20 min) with additional IG & TikTok content & brand integrations for YT Influencer with >8M subscribers.
• Assistant Technical Director: Worked behind the scenes leading teams of technicians building sets & lighting towers for The Lost Colony Outdoor Drama 2021 season (May-Aug).
• Producer & Assistant Director: 25-min Mockumentary “Wrestling Isn’t Wrestling” (>4M YT views).
• Production Coordinator: Full-length Feature Film “Pandora’s Box” for CineTel Films, distributed by Lionsgate.
• Producer & Production Manager: Virtual Reality Short Film “Vain,” exhibited at film festivals worldwide.
• Line Producer & 1st Assistant Director: 8-episode Web Series “Friendless Five,” distributed on Fullscreen TV.
• 2nd Assistant Director: Directed background talent for Ariana Grande’s Music Video, “One Last Time.”
• Producer, Co-Director, & Assistant Director: Multiple Short Films for Funny or Die & YouTube.

Story Analysis

• Provided screenplay synopses & recommendations on writers, story premise, & project to Development Executives for Amazon Studios & to the Head of the Story Department for Resolution Talent Agency.
• Judged feature film & television series screenwriting contests for Fresh Voices & the Tracking Board.

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A Bit of Backstory

(The Long & Winding Version, Told In First Person!)

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Growing up on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, I immersed myself in tales of ghost pirates & lost colonists, acting them out with my friends out in the woods & on the sandbars. Fact & fantasy were never too far apart. Storytelling was all around me. After all, on the Outer Banks, everyone knows that Blackbeard’s headless body swam ’round his ship three…no, five… no… seven times before it sank away into the depths. My love of stories followed me right into adulthood, & even as I pursued a degree in Civil Engineering, I hiked across campus to take Creative Writing classes on the side, just for fun.

Back then, I still thought of writing as a hobby, so I spent my twenties on a different path: After undergrad, I worked for four years as a field engineer building bridges, then two years earning an MBA, & another two years advising Fortune 500 company CEOs as a management consultant. Neither engineering nor business consulting turned out to be my passion or calling, but they both taught me an incredible amount about working with others, managing complex projects, building a vision & strategy, & executing a plan. In both roles, I learned how to “see all the way to the end” then make the tough choices needed to get from here to there, one small step at a time.

Eventually, I decided to make my love of stories & storytelling more than just a side gig, & so I moved to Los Angeles to burrow my way into the entertainment industry. For three years, I cobbled together my own “film school” curriculum from practical experience & classroom instruction. During my first year in LA, I studied Producing for Film, TV, & New Media at UCLA’s Extension program. Then, I spent the next two years working on film productions of all sizes, from features to web series to music videos. I also worked throughout as a freelance script reader for well-known, busy clients like Amazon Studios & Resolution Talent Agency. Overall, it was a wonderful mix of theory & practice & allowed me to explore filmmaking from idea to execution all the way through distribution while meeting & working with a bevy of amazingly talented makers & doers.

After several years in Hollywood, I decided it was time to get back to my roots on the Outer Banks’ serene beaches to focus on building my own ideas in fiction & drama from the ground up. In 2017, I made the big move back east, & while I still enjoy visiting the west coast from time to time to catch up with friends & do business, I have been happy to call North Carolina my home base these past few years—I have found the history & culture of the region & my own personal experiences here have been a gold mine for story ideas & inspiration. That said, every now & then, I still get itchy feet… & when that happens, I like to go wandering with my notebooks & my camera in hand to search of new views, ideas & experiences. Whether my wandering is far or near, long or short, I always find what I’m looking for… there are so many stories out there just waiting to be told.