DONALD WHITTIER

donald@thebanzai.com

BIO:

Raised in Chapel Hill, NC, Donald Whittier considers himself a proud Southern boy. Donald is happiest when running at a frenetic pace, and believes that storms of activity are the mother of creative and unexpected solutions. Donald started and successfully runs 4 local businesses. He manages this with an attention to detail and ability to surround himself with the right people. He was a world-class Tae Kwon Do fighter and believes that the greatest indignity to the human spirit is boredom.

DONALD'S THOUGHTS:

I grew up in the days of Road Warrior--infact I still own and buy dogs from that movie--Australian cattle dogs---you know the background here with Chagi--I didn't discover James Stewart until the mid 90's when I saw "you can't take it with you" which totally put me in awe because I had this preconceived notion of what movies were dealing with in the late 30's and there are many themes which I want to express in my work that showed up way back then! imagine that people just 60 years ago would have some of the same issues around happiness and materialist self expression as we have today...and for some stupid reason this was a revelation to me that it was not, in fact, a new idea tied to generation x or the me generation...

you can't forget musical influences of The Police, David Byrne, Ric Ocasek (the Cars) David Bowie, George Thorogood, REM when they played 300 person shows, Redclay Ramblers, The pressure boys (to get into local favs---definitely had a love for SKA and dancing to it) 10,000 maniacs, english beat, General Public, Kate Bush--and the list goes on...such a huge trapped in the 80s type of guy...I can't even tell you the name of one Nirvana album or song---I really love writer song writers like David Wilcox, John Hyatt/ John Prine, emmylou harris (wrecking ball is one of my all time favorite albums)

Bland Simpson of the Redclay ramblers was an english teacher of mine freshman year in college and he's been a huge inspiration and role model for me. his first class he came in and had all of us put our notebooks on the floor, our heads on the desks and he sang us a song...couldn't tell you what it was but i worked my butt off for him as a result

my favorite all time video game is donkey kong...know anyone who owns one and wants to give it to me?

hometown dreams? why would I ever want to live any where else? I'm close enough to duke I can spit on THEM but far enough that i don't have to smell them---I'm able to see great music at the CRADLE---where else could I have met David Byrne after a sold out show? Small enough that making the decision to drive across town in traffic is really only a decision of 8 minutes or 10 minutes and not 30 minutes like most commuters have to deal with. I have a 29 year history here---where else could I live that type of history or even begin to create it? I remember where I was when the verdict of the OJ trial was announced and where I was when I first "amost" had sex.

this town is packed with talent...and if it's not it's because people left and it's certainly cool enough to continually bring AWESOME people back here. I believe in my heart that the same potential exists for movies as did/does for music...wait and see...banzai is a leap of faith...not unlike being a tarheel...everything is exactly the way it is meant to be...and we are exactly perfect in the carolina blue eyes of god.

sometimes after the bars close we drive to raleigh to get Krispy kreme doughnut just because we can and not because we want to.

why movies? because I love them and have been involved in them since I was a small kid...making super 8 movies with my cousins and also with friends here in Chapel Hill...not even sure where they ended up...still floating around I'm sure...I love the turn of a phrase that can make a person or especially a group of people feel a very particular way...that's what movies are...a communally shared experience where everyone can talk about later whether or not their own personal experience was the same other people who saw the same thing...a point of reference to experience and express life in...I started the company with my cousin Eric---and he's now married and tied down in LA...but we still talk ramble on about our dreams every month or so

and I have a strange life and the office is strange...I'm a martial arts instructor first, a realestate developer and general contractor second and third and a movie maker entertainment company executive 3rd or 4th. Our offices are upstairs in the TKD studio just inside carrboro...and the setting is perfect for our vision of how we want the company to be expressed in the community...small, powerful, and a bit funky...