Michael Doneger

Michael Doneger
Born (1986-07-21) July 21, 1986 (age 38)
Hewlett, New York, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materJohns Hopkins University
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor
Websitewww.cloverhillpictures.com

Michael Doneger (born July 21, 1986) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and actor based in Los Angeles, California. Doneger is notable as screenwriter of Shelly starring Awkwafina and Karen Gillan, lead actor in the 2015 film The Escort,[1] director of the film Brampton's Own, which starred actors Jean Smart, Alex Russell and Rose McIver,[2][3] as well as director and producer of the documentary Fate of a Sport that was executive produced by LeBron James and acquired by ESPN Films.[4] Doneger also wrote, directed, and starred in his debut feature film This Thing with Sarah.[5] In addition, Doneger was a former lacrosse player on the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays and San Jose Stealth lacrosse teams.[6]

Early life and education

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Doneger was born in Hewlett, New York. Doneger attended Lynbrook Senior High School in Lynbrook, New York and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he played lacrosse at both schools.[7] At Johns Hopkins University, he played for the Blue Jays lacrosse team while studying screenwriting.[8] Doneger then continued on to be a professional National Lacrosse League player for the San Jose Stealth during the 2009 season.[6]

Career

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After graduating from Johns Hopkins University, Doneger moved to Los Angeles, California to pursue a career in the film industry.[8] Doneger wrote, directed, and starred in This Thing with Sarah in 2013, co-starring Wes Chatham.[5][9] This Thing with Sarah was funded from the finalist prize money that Doneger had earned for his commercial Elevator Girl at the 2011 Crash the Super Bowl competition.[10][8]

In 2015, Doneger wrote and starred in The Escort along with Lyndsy Fonseca.[1][5] According to Sheri Linden of Variety, Doneger and his co-star in The Escort "played with charm... and their mercenary alliance proceeds as a spirited, mostly convincing, exploration of life in the big city."[11] In 2016, MTV also began to develop a drama series pilot based on Doneger's 2015 film.[1]

In 2018, Doneger wrote and directed the film Brampton's Own.[12] The film's lead actors were Alex Russell and Rose McIver, with Scott Porter, Spencer Grammer, John Getz, and Jean Smart playing supporting roles.[2][3] The film was also featured at the Nashville Film Festival.[13]

In 2020, Doneger conceived the story and co-wrote the screenplay for the film Shelly with Liz Storm.[14] The film starring Awkwafina and Karen Gillan was acquired by Amazon Studios with Jude Weng as director.[14]

In 2022, Doneger directed and produced a Lacrosse documentary featuring Lacrosse star, Paul Rabil, in Fate of a Sport.[4] The film was executive produced by LeBron James and acquired by ESPN Films before premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Additionally, Doneger is the founder of Cloverhill Pictures, a Los Angeles-based film company.[15][10]

Filmography

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Filmography for Michael Doneger:[16]

Year Title Credits
2022 Fate of a Sport Director, producer[4]
2020 Shelly Story By, Writer[14]
2018 Brampton's Own Director, writer
2015 The Escort Lead Actor, Writer, Producer
2013 This Thing with Sarah [5] Director, writer, producer

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hipes, Patrick (July 18, 2016). "MTV Developing 'The Escort' Pilot Based On Feature Film With Michael Doneger". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  2. ^ a b Glover, Arthur (2019). "Interview with Filmmaker Michael Doneger, Director of Romantic Baseball Drama BRAMPTON'S OWN". Scenester. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  3. ^ a b Windsor, Rachel (Oct 19, 2018). "'Brampton's Own' director Michael Doneger on obstacles faced while filming: "Making a movie is like playing that game 'Whac-A-Mole'"". Meaww. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  4. ^ a b c "ESPN Films Nabs Lacrosse Doc Fate of a Sport From LeBron James". 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
  5. ^ a b c d Holland, Nicole. "The Escort – An Interview with Michael Doneger". Independent Film Quarterly Magazine. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  6. ^ a b "San Jose Stealth (2009)". Pointstreak. 2009. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  7. ^ "Pietramala Names 2008 Men's Lacrosse Captains". Hopkins Sports. October 4, 2007. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  8. ^ a b c Malloy, Mary (January 19, 2011). "He shoots, he scores!". LI Herald. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  9. ^ "This Thing With Sarah". thisthingwithsarah.com.
  10. ^ a b "Michael Doneger's "This Thing With Sarah" Premiering at "Dances With Films" Film Festival at Hollywood Chinese Theatre". Yahoo Finance. May 28, 2013. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  11. ^ Linden, Sheri (June 23, 2015). "'The Escort': LAFF Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
  12. ^ Hipes, Patrick (5 May 2017). "Alex Russell & Rose McIver To Star In 'Brampton's Own'". Deadline. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Michael Doneger and the cast from Brampton's Own at the 2018 Nashville Film Festival". Nashville Film Festival. May 16, 2018. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  14. ^ a b c Fleming, Mike Jr. (2020-09-02). "Amazon Studios Lands 'Shelly,' Jude Weng-Helmed Comedy To Star Awkwafina & Karen Gillan". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-09-04.
  15. ^ "The Orchard Picks Up "The Escort"". The Orchard. June 15, 2015. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
  16. ^ Michael Doneger at IMDb
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