David Ebeltoft completed his BFA in Photography and Museum Studies at the Santa Fe University of Art and Design in New Mexico in 2002. Since that time he has become slightly schizophrenic in his creative pursuits, often choosing photography to capture certain ideas and the pen to tell the tale of other postulations. In a celebrated public lecture about his writing for the Heart River Writer's Circle, David stated:
"When I want to confuse someone I'm an artist and when I want to lie to somebody through my art, I'm a writer. The best part is that no matter which medium I choose, whether I visually create confusion or fabricate tales through my chicken scratch, dialogue always follows. And that is why I create, to spur discourse."
David's photographic work, often empirical studies of everyday life that shatter or strengthen the certainty of an object or place, frequently reflect notions of home, identity, presentation, and personal and regional expression.
Works from his photographic presentation series, Residential, based on the symbolic and aesthetic nature of residencies in his hometown of Dickinson, North Dakota, were recently acquired by the prestigious Bank of America Corporate Art Collection in New York City and premiered as a solo show at the DSU Art Gallery. Residential has also received several accolades. Works from the series received the Grand Prize at the National Small Works Exhibition at The Arkell Museum and took home a Merit Award at the LaGrange National Art Biennial at The LaGrange Art Museum.Recently, David just finished the 'photographic journal' series Everything Here is Slightly Plastic, which combines digital imagery with written chronicles to bring the mediums of photography and writing together in one piece. He also continues to explore his hometown with the in-progress series, Industrial, which captures the everyday aesthetic of a small Midwestern farming community and it's collective of commercial structures and components.
Seduced by film's visual explanation of the narrative and it's efficacy as a collaborative system, David penned the feature length script, You Were Once Called Queen City. The script won the coveted Grand Prize at the Philadelphia Screenplay Festival and was also awarded one of three Feature Development Awards in the highly competitive Bluecat Screenwriting Lab Competition.
In 2011, You Were Once Called Queen City drew the interest of creative director Rod Blackhurst, whom David worked with on the story structure and editing of his short film, The Only Band in Town. With Rod attached, the film has gained the support of well known Hollywood director and executive producer Mark Pellington and is now in development.
Currently, David is compiling his horrifically handwritten notes into the feature length script titled, Please Press Funny. The dark comedy is about, Travis, a failed videographer, who tries desperately to convert his odd and humorless family into comedic material to win America's Funniest Home Videos grand prize.
David recently relocated to Charlotte, NC with his unbelievably supportive and lovely wife Payal and their scallywag of a pooch, Maizey.
art, meet wall
daniel ballesteros
brent bayless
rod blackhurst
big damn giant
biggest bros productions
bluecat screenplay
kevin bluer
filament productions
steve fitch
joelle jensen
david kaihoi
kelly magelky
david marshall
stacy mehrfar
azikiwe mohammed
philadelphia screenplay festival
see me sell a screenplay
