Andrew de Villiers is a renowned director, co-producer, and co-writer who has made a significant impact in the film industry. He is best known for his work on Riverdale: The Archie Movie Trailer, which played a crucial role in inspiring the hit TV series Riverdale on Netflix and CBS. Andrew's impressive resume also includes the writer and director credits for the TV movie Secret Liaison and the writer, director, and co-producer credits for the ambitious and fantastical re-imagining of Davy Crockett, The Legend of Davy Crockett, which was a finalist in Cinecoup 2015 and was optioned by Unity Pictures the same year.
Andrew began his career in high school, producing the EPK for the film Betraying Reason, which was shot near his hometown of Courtenay. He later attended the Art Institute of Vancouver on a full scholarship and studied writing and producing at Langara College's Film Arts program. During his time at film school, Andrew reunited with his high school friends Michael Cope and Rhys Finnick to produce a series of dark comedy sketches for the pilot show "The Cross Eyed Bear." Although the pilot was not picked up, one of the sketches, Riverdale, became an international sensation and was featured on various media outlets, including Mashable, Time, Entertainment Weekly, and Canadian national news outlets.
Andrew's success with Riverdale led him to direct his first TV movie for Kirk Shaw at Insight Media and Gilles Laplante at Reel One Pictures. He also created the short film Mister Forgettable with Point Blank Creative, which premiered at the San Diego International Film Festival in 2013. The film was well-received, but it struggled to find a large audience due to its abstract nature and long length.
After a brief hiatus, Andrew began developing his passion project, a re-imagining of Davy Crockett called The Legend of Davy Crockett. This new take on the character combined modern storytelling sensibilities with history, Native American folklore, and action and adventure. The project was made on a budget of $18,000 with volunteers and became a finalist in CineCoup 2015, where it gained an international following. The project was optioned by Unity Pictures that year, but it was not picked up for production.
In addition to his work on The Legend of Davy Crockett, Andrew has continued to work on various corporate projects and documentary-style content for local and national businesses and charities. His production company, Film Vancouver Production Services, has clients across Canada and produced its first national television advertisement in 2018.
Andrew's most recent projects include a pilot he co-wrote, produced, and directed, Chalkboard Prison, which is a sitcom about a kindergarten teacher working in a prison. The pilot premiered in late 2018 and is expected to be a hit.
Andrew's attention to detail, performance-driven approach to storytelling, and skill as a story editor make him well-suited for both drama and comedy. His favorite films and television series include Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Almost Famous, and North by Northwest.
