David
Curran
got his start when Wiseguy producer/director David Burke came to the
University of Montana to address the Drama and Writing Programs.
David Burke was talking about the show and how the stories were
submitted.
I had a really dumb agent at the time, so I asked how exactly do you
submit a story.
Well, Mr. Burke answered and I knew it would not be enough
for my
agent so I asked the question again. Mr. Burke tried to answer
the question
again. Well, I still wasn't clear enough. So I asked Mr.
Burke again.
This time David Burke says, "Okay if you have a story idea let's hear
it."
Well, I did not have a story idea in mind. I had to make one up
on the
spot. So I mentioned a character from the show that had
been on the
night before. Life Guard's daughter decided to marry an artist
and
Life Guard didn't approve. I said, "What is life guards son in
law needs
money and gets involved with drugs?"
David Burke didn't like that, "That's two much like Maimi Vice," he
said.
And this guy I'd seen around who was in the poetry graduate program
David Braden, says, "What if the guy can't get a job and buys a
name in a union."
David Braden explained that sometimes in construction people get hurt.
Rather than pay workman's comp, companies ship these people to
the Bahamas and have someone else work under their name. The
injured person gets the social security and the worker gets the pay.
Burke loved that idea and says, if you two write the story I'll buy
it.
He qualified that by adding, " if its good enough."
David Braden and I got together and learned neither of us had a
phone. Burke had said to call when the story was completed.
So we rushed down to the drama department and listened to a very
interesting presentation about the strange things actors did to
try and get parts, and then cornered David Burke when he was
done.
Burke laughed and said he'd arrange for us to call him collect.
David Braden and I wrote the story while fly fishing in Montana's
famous Rock Creek. David almost got to write the story himself
when I fell into the water (It was a 1900 fps flow that day) in
front of
a snag. If Braden hadn't pulled me out after my waders filled he
could
have written it himself.
We got the story done and rushed to a friends house to make the
call. We got put through to a writers conference. We
pitched the
story and waited. David Burke said he'd buy it.
When had to fax the story and W-2's from kinkos and days later we
split $7,144. The first payment on the story credit.
Because of that Dave recieved a work story job (I was still a graduate
student) making
videos for the Missoula bicycle program,
In 2002 Dave wrote and produced "The Mailbox" a short story
from his book True Haunting in Montana. He also wrote and
produced "Learn Handgun & Rifle Reloading in Under 36 Minutes"
In 2003 he began shooting what would become his first feature film
KNAPTID. He also produced and directed "The Kelly Saloon"
another ghost story from True Hauntings in Montana.
In 2004 he finished KNAPTID, and will be beginning a new
movie.
