David James Bartlett was born on February 5, 1959, in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Beaverton, Oregon. He is an American filmmaker, actor, teacher, and human rights activist. Bartlett's films often focus on human stories with redeeming characters and a hope for a better future. He has taught filmmaking at every major film school in Los Angeles and has been a champion of the orphans of the world for years.
Bartlett started his career in school by making films and working in every aspect of theater, including acting. He directed the full-length play The Wind In The Willows while still in high school. He worked in movie theaters as a projectionist and manager for three years before moving to Los Angeles.
In Hollywood, Bartlett met Academy Award-winning director Robert Wise and worked with him on a promotional film for the Motion Picture Home Hospital. Wise became his first advisor, and Bartlett took his advice. He said, "If you want to get a job as a director, write the Great American Screenplay they want so badly they will let you direct it, but if you want to learn how to be a director, be an editor, as the editor knows exactly what works and does not work in the film."
David has now worked on over 200 productions, including over 120 features. He has worked with notable directors such as Quentin Tarantino, Joel Silver, William Friedkin, Paul Verhoeven, and Brian De Palma, and has worked with actors such as Morgan Freeman, Goldie Hawn, Lawrence Fishburne, Ellen Barkin, Ashley Judd, Mira Sorvino, Patrick Swayze, and Doris Roberts.
Bartlett has won over 50 film festival awards and many other nominations, including an Emmy nomination for Best Sound Effects Editing of the mini-series Space. He has produced, directed, written, done cinematography, editing, and music on over 60 features, shorts, and documentaries. His films have screened at festivals all over the world, including Cannes, Sundance, SXSW, London, Beverly Hills, Worldfest Houston, New York, Maui, Los Angeles, and many others.
Bartlett's charity project, Orphans In The Storm, provides human rights education to orphans all over the world. He has acted in three independent features, three short films, and an original musical. He has also been a volunteer with a human rights activist, filming and shooting stills, and was inspired to start the charity project.
David's brother, Ron Bartlett, is an Academy-nominated sound mixer for the film Life of PI (2012). His nephew, James Bartlett, is a film composer and won Best Score for The Algerian (2014) at a film festival.
Bartlett is currently in production as the line producer of the sci-fi series Space Command, slated for release in 2016. He has also been a teacher of filmmaking and has taught screenwriting and film production at every major film school in Los Angeles, including The American Film Institute, USC, UCLA, The Los Angeles Film School, and The New York Film Academy.
