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Duncan Birmingham

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Duncan Birmingham is a writer, director, and actor living in Los Angeles. He was a writer and executive producer on Maron on IFC and a writer and co-executive producer on Blunt Talk on Starz. In 2021, he released a short story collection, The Cult in My Garage from Maudlin House.[1] In 2022, Birmingham wrote and directed the feature film, Who Invited Them.[2]

Career

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Birmingham started his career as a Rolling Stone intern. Later, he was a reporter and editor for various Boston-area newspapers including The Cambridge Chronicle and the Somerville Journal. He was also a reporter and Bigfoot expert for the Weekly World News.[3]

His fiction has appeared in over a dozen literary magazines like nerve.com, Storychord,[4] Opium, Word Riot[5] Mystery Tribune[6] and the Oxford Review. He is the author of the blog and subsequent humor book series, Pets Who Want To Kill Themselves.[7]

After moving to Los Angeles, Birmingham worked as a writers' assistant on Queer as Folk before breaking into feature films. He wrote screenplays for Marc Platt Productions, A Thousand Words productions and his spec screenplay Swingles[8] sold to Paramount and was later on The Black List two years in a row.[9] He then transitioned to TV and has sold projects to ABC[10] and Sony.

In 2011 he and Marc Maron wrote a pilot presentation based on Maron's life[11] that screened in NYC and is the basis for the series Maron on IFC. Birmingham serves as a writer and executive producer on the show. Birmingham served as a writer and executive producer on the show.

Birmingham is now co-executive producer on Blunt Talk. He also served as a writer on the David Fincher HBO project, Videosynchrzy. His project Foodies is in development at AMC with Michael London producing.[12]

Birmingham has written, directed or acted in projects that have played at the Sundance Film Festival, AFI, Gen Art, SXSW, New York TV Festival, Williamstown Film Festival, Catalina Festival, Los Angeles Short Film Festival, LA Indie Film Festival; among others.

His adventurous food group has been chronicled by LA Weekly.[13]

In 2021 his story collection "The Cult in My Garage" was published by Maudlin House press. The Los Angeles Review of Books wrote the collection "cast an unexpected spell" and "brims with wit, insight and hilarity."[14] Ploughshares wrote the book "recalls such masters as Ring Lardner and Nathanael West.".[15] The collection's title story was chosen for the Selected Shorts podcast hosted by Meg Wolizter. The story was performed live by Michaela Watkins.[16]

Birmingham wrote and directed, Who Invited Them. The 2022 feature film starred Ryan Hansen, Timothy Granaderos, Perry Mattfeld, and Melissa Tang. After playing The Overlook Film Festival and FrightFest, Who Invited Them premiered on Shudder and AMC+. Bloody Disgusting gave the film four out of five skulls.[17] The Hollywood Reporter listed it as one of the best horror films of 2022[18]

References

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  1. ^ Birmingham, Duncan (2021). The Cult in My Garage. Maudlin House. ISBN 9781737022206.
  2. ^ "Ryan Hansen, Melissa Tang Lead Cast of 'Who Invited Them'". The Hollywood Reporter. 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  3. ^ "Requiem for Bat Boy". Time. 2007-08-16. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  4. ^ "Everybody's Famous". Storychord. 2010-06-07. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  5. ^ "Mrs. W. Needs Her Beauty Sleep". Word Riot. 2011-12-01. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  6. ^ "The Hungry Detective by Duncan Birmingham".
  7. ^ "Public Provides Giggles; Bloggers Get the Book Deal". The New York Times. 2009-04-17. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  8. ^ "Par sold on 'Swingles'". Variety. 2006-07-23. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  9. ^ "The Black List 2008: Top Screenplays". Deadline Hollywood. 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  10. ^ "Luke Greenfield lines up TV shows". Variety. 2008-10-27. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  11. ^ "Marc Maron Shoots Pilot Presentation With Ed Asner (Update)". TheWrap. 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  12. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 2015). "'Foodies' Comedy In The Works At AMC". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  13. ^ Platt, Heather (March 19, 2015). "We Spent a Night Eating Live Octopus and Blood Soup With Food Explorers the Culineers". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
  14. ^ "Panic in the City: On Duncan Birmingham's "The Cult in My Garage"". 11 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Book Recommendations from Our Former Guest Editors | Ploughshares".
  16. ^ "Selected Shorts: It Takes Two | Getty360 Calendar".
  17. ^ "'Who Invited Them' Review – Witty Horror Comedy Introduces the Neighbors from Hell". August 30, 2022.
  18. ^ "The Best Horror Movies of 2022". The Hollywood Reporter. December 21, 2022.