Today we’d like to introduce you to C. Neil Davenport.
C. Neil, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in rural Georgia. As the typical American Boy Scout who played outside and conquered the neighborhood with my bicycle buddies, I learned of my love for the arts after seeing Arthur Miller’s ‘Death of a Salesman’ on stage. I proceed to then act in several plays during high school and from this I was scouted by several universities which are known for their theatrical programs. However, once I was given the director’s chair for a school play and saw Mel Brooks’ ‘The Producers’ (2005), I decided to pursue film as a career instead of the stage. After four years of producing David Lynch-like short films and learning the tactics of cinema, I graduated in 2016 with a B.A. and took my film professor’s advice of getting in the acting game while I was young. I obtained a head shot, edited a reel and found myself in Oklahoma of all places with agent. There I learned about the industry and acted in several films. This newfound credit led me to obtain an agent in Atlanta, but as I continued this venture, something felt off. While on set, I remember sitting in the make-up chair thinking, “Wow. I know so many struggling actors who would gladly slit my throat for this gig and I don’t want it… I need to get out.” For a moment, let’s transition back to my time in Oklahoma. When I wasn’t in front of the camera, I was a bartender and when I wasn’t slinging drinks, I wrote. I developed a full-length screenplay which simply collected dust. So as to get out of this slump, having zero experience, I marketed the hell out of my first script without worry of someone stealing it. One thing led to the next and after a few months of cold calling producers, setting up lunch meetings and working a 40 hour a week job, I got a phone call from a producer. He didn’t want to buy my script but liked it enough to hire me as a developer on an idea he had. This single phone call changed my life. It has been three years since I jumped into my career as a storyteller and after making it a routine of learning from my mistakes, establishing professional relationships and setting entrepreneurial goals, I have more work as a writer than I ever had as an actor. Plus, I’m happy. So, that’s nice. I have so many people to thank for helping me become the professional I am today and the best part of my story is that it isn’t even close to the ending! All my work can be found on my website: cneildavenport.com and on my IMDb.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
“If things are going your way and everything comes easily, you’re on the wrong path.” So, no. It certainly hasn’t been a smooth road at all. The cards are stacked against you, this is an incredibly competitive field and everyone thinks they can do a better job than you, but a professional, particularity in the art world, enjoys the downs as much as they enjoy the ups. As for the struggles… how long can this article be exactly? All joking aside, some of them have been learning to appreciate the minimalist economic lifestyle, sacrificing personal relationships for the venture, letting go of the past, learning legal loopholes of self-protection and continuously facing the impending illness of personal doubt.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Currently, I’m a screenwriter of all genres. I’m too new to pin myself down as an expert on any single type of story. I also do story development, story editing and script consulting. I have worked on a seven different full-length screenplays all with assorted producers spanning from Georgia to Tennessee and two separate scripts are my personal projects. What I am most proud of is my ability to research. Unless writers are writing about writing, I believe when a writer is honest enough in what they actually do, they tell people they do research as a profession. I spend at least three hours of research for every one hour of writing. I don’t know what sets me apart from others because I don’t know how those ‘others’ treat my clients. However, I will say every client I’ve had the pleasure of helping is treated with the upmost respect in that their ideas are valuable and worth exploring. There’s a reason why they believe I’m the best fit for them in the building of their product and that’s my primal intention.
What were you like growing up?
I was a good kid. Sometimes too adventurous, but what growing boy isn’t. I grew up in a Southern Christian household with modern and philosophical methods of thought. Unlike my younger brother, I’m the quiet one. Very similar to Oscar Wilde, I was taught to listen before speaking. I played sports, loved painting and would read Plato’s, ‘Five Dialogues’ for fun. I always worked though. Money was tight when I was a child. I had my first job at 14 years old at an ice-cream store and before that I ran my own lawn care business within my neighborhood. At 15, I told Dad I wanted a mustang for my first car. He said, “You want it, you build it,” so I did. Yep, that’s me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cneildavenport.com/
- Email: cneildavenport@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cneildavenport_screenwriter/
- Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7465781/
Image Credit:
Elizabeth Graves
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