Donald Cager - 2006 Award Recipient

DONALD CAGER

2006 MENTOREE

Bi-coastal with a valid Texas driver’s license, Donald Cager left his home state to pursue a career at the creative forefront of filmed entertainment. After receiving a coveted full scholarship to the University of Southern California’s prestigious School of Cinema-Television, he began nurturing his talents as a writer, director, and producer on a dozen advanced films.

The Portrait of Madame Marrousia, a dramatic thriller which he wrote and directed, garnered kudos from numerous national festivals, including Worldfest Houston, the Black Filmmaker’s Hall of Fame, The Black Cinema Society’s Independent Filmmaker Awards and the DGA.

MAD Boy, I’ll Blow Your Blues Away, Be Mine, a short which he co-produced, received the Gold Hugo Award at the Chicago International Film Festival, 1^st Place in the Student Category at the Austin Film Festival, and was wildly received by many others.

Breaking into the industry, Donald first got his feet wet in development working for Steven Seagal’s Steamroller Productions, followed by a brief stint in distribution for Disney/Buena Vista Pictures Distribution. Lured by the challenging frugalness of the 30-second story, he began working as a production assistant on commercials in between film projects. Soon his production credits managed to include work with Hagmann/Landau Films, Backyard Productions, Joe Pytka Productions, and Paramount Pictures.

Upon graduating, his affinity for both film and commercial production intensified. He worked as director’s assistant to film, commercial, and music video director Alek Keshishian (Madonna: Truth or Dare, With Honors) and in no time at all was promoted to Head of Production of the New York office of Atherton & Associates/Cylo, the now defunct, bi-coastal commercial production company that represented Keshishian.

A couple years later, he became the New York Head of Production for Chelsea Pictures, another award-winning production company. There he bid, produced, and supervised production, both domestically and internationally, for a variety of filmed media projects including commercials, music videos, promos, and print.

Spirited by such talented commercial directors as Spike Jones, Tarsem, Jonathan Glazer, and Gerard de Thame, Donald began adding commercials to his own directing palette. With a filmic style described as classically-trained storytelling with a contemporary twist, he has directed subtle, yet humorous spots for Levi’s Dockers, American Airlines, Coca-Cola, Air Jamaica, a PSA for the Fort Worth Housing Department, and an autobiographical short for Skyy Vodka.

As a well-rounded, up-and-coming filmmaker, Donald is careful not to limit his options. “Storytelling is the way that people have communicated for centuries,” he says. “Whether the medium is film, television, commercials, theatre, or music videos, what matters most is the message.”

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