Colleen Davie Janes
Colleen began a creative career by directing and acting on super 8mm film with her brothers at the ripe old age of nine, creating stop motion claymation, as well as various classy shorts with cross dressing children playing old ladies and police officers. She would often sneak off to the double features to avoid the loud family life of six siblings, falling in love with the directors Steven Speilberg, Robert Altman, Sydney Pollack, Martin Scorcese, Michael Apted, Ridley Scott, Brian DePalma, and Nora Ephron among many others. Once in high school, she began acting. Bypassing many scholarships offered for her award winning talent on the saxophone, she chose instead to study film at Boston University with a concentration in Acting.
Before graduation, Colleen took her first job as a Production Assistant on Oliver Stone’s “JFK” in New Orleans, LA. A trial by fire, her first positions taught her the discipline, respect, ingenuity, and quick thinking that she has been respected for over the years and that she looks for in anyone she works with.
After graduating from Boston U with 3 short 16mm films to her credit, Colleen worked as a P.A. on various films: “A Bronx Tale” directed and starring Robert DeNiro, Brian DePalma’s “Carlito’s Way”, “Last Action Hero”, “6 Degrees of Seprartion” and “Sabrina” by Sydney Pollack. She also did a season as First Team PA on the Nickelodeon show “Pete and Pete”. With enough days to join the DGA, Colleen instead chose to exercise her creative side again, and left film production for several years to become a Conservatory trained actress in the Meisner and Strasberg methods, receiving call backs to The Actor’s Studio for admittance. Over the next few years, she studied acting, worked as an Executive Assistant at the highest levels of Wall Street, and directed theatre, including “The Paradox of Authorship” which was awarded a place in the Samuel French Competition of Plays Off-Broadway at the Harold Clurman Theatre.
In 2004, she directed her first short film out of college, critically acclaimed “Stranger” which premiered in the Long Island International Film Festival. Re-invigorated by directing film, Colleen took her organizational skills, left the world of Wall Street, and re-entered the entertainment community as an Agent at The Right Eye representing below the line talent for feature films and commercials. Some of her clients included Geoffrey Erb, ASC , Chuck Rosher, ASC, Fred Murphy, ASCand ---. Within 6 months, Colleen became her own boss and created the successful below the line management company Gorilla Reps and successfully booked every client on her roster. But the creative soul cannot be contained. As Gorilla Reps became successful, Colleen made a choice to pass her roster on to the larger Creative Entertainment Connections, and began concentrating on her move into directing narrative feature films, her inspiration and first love.
To this end, she became a sought after Production Coordinator for commercials, music videos and features, working with such directors as Hype Williams, John Bayer, Jonus Ackerlund and M. Knight Shyamalan. She also headed up the viral division of Sellulloyd. In between coordinating positions, Colleen directed and produced her own spots which can be seen at DavieJanesLocker.com. All of her spec spots have been acquired and used by their brand.
Colleen also worked as Associate Producer on the NRI feature “Knots Urbane” dir. Kumar Selvaraju. She went on location in Iraq in 2006 as Unit Production Manager for the Sundance Grand Jury nominee “Quest for Honor” dir. Mary Ann Bruni. She has produced several high budget short films, including “Southbound” for Uncommon Productions dir. Tim Disney “Leaving Ashland” (Los Angeles Film Festival) and “Charlie Keats” for Atomic Robot.
The comedy “Maam’s Crossing” marks Colleen’s feature directorial debut, a film inspired both by her chaotically large Irish American family, and the unfortunate loss of her Aunt to melanoma, who request her ashes be scattered in Ireland. Her goal is to create films that allow the audience an escape; to take you out of your everyday world and, for a short time, make you to forget who you are, where you are, and let you live vicariously through her textured fictional world and live an emotional, visual journey.
Colleen Davie Janes
Director/Writer
Maam's Crossing
MaamsCrossTheMovie.com
DavieJanesLocker.com
+1 (917) 892-0885
+1 (213) 500-3459
NY/LA
