Conversations with C. Neil Davenport

Today we’d like to introduce you to C. Neil Davenport. They and their team shared their story with us below:

FADE IN: INT. CINEMA – DAY!

NEIL (30), wearing a crisp suit, enters an auditorium full of rambunctious KIDS. He looks up at  his seat located amongst a sea of flying popcorn and candy. He gulps and walks up the stairs. 

A kid holding an open soda cup dashes out of the aisle towards Neil. Neil dodges the kid by the  skin of his teeth, shakes his head, and continues up the stairs. 

Another kid sees Neil, puts a straw up to his mouth, takes aim, and – a slobbery spit-ball smacks  Neil in the cheek! He wipes it off, gives the kid a stern look, and continues along the aisle. 

Neil finds his seat between two other kids holding large buckets of popcorn. He winces and  settles in his seat. The lights dim, the kids settle down and are glued to the silver screen… 

Neil sighs a breath of relief. On the screen, the movie title pops up: “CAMP HIDEOUT,” and the  kids go berserk!  

Back at Neil now covered in a layer of buttery popcorn… 

Okay, maybe the experience of watching my first feature film in the cinema did not actually  happen like the scene above, but I am a storyteller – It is my job to embellish the emotion of the  moment. Hello, my name is C. Neil Davenport and I am a feature film screenwriter.  

The feature film referenced above is Called Higher Studios’ coming-of-age comedy, Camp  Hideout (2023) and I am proud to consider it a pivotal milestone of my career. I was one of three  writers on the project and to experience the audience in the cinema connect with the film on an  emotional level was surreal. It was made by an incredible team of filmmakers such as Director  Sean Olson (Max Winslow and the House of Secrets), Producers Jason Brown (Finding  Harmony) & Phillip Glasser (The War with Grandpa), Writer Kat Olson (Squeaky Clean  Mysteries: Hazardous Duty), and Actors Corbin Bleu (High School Musical) alongside Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future). It hit cinemas nationwide last September and presently  streams on Hulu. To learn more about the film, visit: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14051976/ 

How I reached this pivotal point can be attributed to the application of being a clown who spins  plates on straws. Basically, I became a master multitasker. Now, I understand there are studies  out there insinuating that multitasking is ineffective, but I wonder how many of those analysts are in the film business… In my opinion, finding success in this industry is the amalgamation of  many tactics such as establishing a trust-worthy network of professionals, micromanaging debt, and continued education, but when it pertains to this point of career advancement, one lesson I  learned (the hard way) was the value of diversification. The more projects you can spin on a  straw which connects you to other professionals, the better. For example, while Camp Hideout was being produced, I attended grad school at the University of North Carolina School of the  Arts and earned an MFA in Screenwriting. During that two-year duration, I developed two  client-based feature screenplays, tried to produce a short film of my own, taught a writing class, 

worked a full-time job at the Shaffner Inn, and was on the outreach board of Ardmore Baptist  Church. Soon after, I obtained an internship at the Austin Film Festival where I happily evaluated 500 scripts within their screenplay department over a six-month period, but I wanted to  be more involved. So, in my off time, I visited additional departments to learn about the  cosmetics of how a major film festival operates and the film department put me to work. It was  through film evaluation that I learned about brand awareness and then what followed was an  incredible experience. I was hired as their Release Manager which oversaw the building of a  strategy which needed to obtain over 100 signatures from speakers and panelists during an eight day event which hosted 6,000 participants between six different venues along downtown Austin,  Texas – Not an easy task. However, with the help of the Conference team and their interns, I was  successful. All that said, each of these experiences, the films, the school, the festival are all  simply platforms which connect people, diversify the expansion of opportunity, and solidify the next milestone. 

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road? 

The idea of a challenge intrigues me. I see it in the same light as my friend, Lou Baldwin when  he states, “Sometimes the obstacle is the way.” Meaning, the best thing a person can do when  pursuing a goal is embrace the coming conflict. To not perceive something such as a blockade keeping you from your destination in a negative light is nearly impossible, but when you look at  it with hindsight, no matter how you deal with it, the challenge will always teach you something about yourself. People show you who they really are when a challenge comes their way and I  personally feel better when I work alongside someone who laughs at the sight of danger.  

That said, sometimes there are moments when a challenge becomes too much and you need help.  The rain could be blinding and you could run off into a ditch, but that is why you have a support  team following you close behind. My team consists of a few grad school classmates such as JD  Franklin III, Ansley Simmons, and Maddie Burgin. We formed a virtual writer’s group titled, Peter’s Porch after our late mentor, Peter Werner, to keep us on the right path. Screenwriting  and the pursuit of it is daunting at times, especially when it comes to self-worth. So, every other  Sunday, we hop on a call and share the projects we are working on, give/receive notes, and  discuss personal goals, ultimately to support and remind each other to embrace the challenge. 

I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do? I would like to share a few of my current projects below: 

Last year, I wrote and developed an Austin Film Festival Award-Winning period true-crime  feature screenplay titled, Eight Years. It is a novel adaptation of Producer David H. Hanks’ book,  The Disappearance. Currently, Screenwriter Paul Salamoff is doing a punch-up of the script, and  then it is off to the races! To learn more, visit: https://cneildavenport.com/eight-years/ 

More recently I worked on an independent horror film titled, Traction Park Massacre as an  Office Production Assistant to learn the operations of the production office. The making of the  film was superb as its team of highly talented professionals brought Writer-Director Adam  Dubin & Douglas diMonda’s bloody vision to light… in the dark forest. It was headed by

Producer Jack Gulick, Line Producer Mark Crump, Associate Producer Kaitlyn Hubbard,  Production Coordinator Susan Ratliff alongside Derrick Rodgers, and Production Designer  Anthony Bruno. To learn more about TPM and its incredible team, 

visit: https://www.georgiaentertainment.com/2024/04/first-look-terror-twins-announces-feature-film-in-production-outside-atlanta/

Soon after, I finished a faith-based courtroom drama film treatment for Producers Ed Hayes &  Ray Hayes titled, So Help Me God. I am proud to share that it is currently in the hands of several  producers. To learn more about this project, visit https://cneildavenport.com/sohelpmegod/

Lastly, in addition to a few of my personal projects, I am presently developing a political action drama film treatment for Producer Erick Probeck titled, Spoiled Fruit. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck? 

I have a bit of Irish in me from my mother’s side and from time to time, she will say that “You  have good luck,” when a ladybug lands on you. That said, my father has a more analytical understanding of the concept. He says, “Luck is when opportunity and preparation align.” It is a  form of the adage, “Right place, right time,” but infers that the person was in the particular place  at the time of coincidence for a reason. For example, I am a co-producer on a faith-based football  feature film titled, All In, showcasing the true fall-and-rise of New York Giants Linebacker, Chase Blackburn, headed by Producer Richard Kerner, because my friend and Co-Producer  Pooja Gupta found me at the right place at the right time. When you reverse engineer the events  which led to this occurrence, it is like looking at a three-dimensional spiderweb of connected  dots, but it can all be boiled down to the essence of luck. 

Lastly, one element which I find to be the most important when it comes to the venture of  opportunity is the reassurance of family. Any time an aspiring filmmaker asks me for advice on career advancement, the first thing I ask is, “Does your family believe in you?” This is vital in  my opinion, because the journey of the aspiring artist will destroy you if it is not taken  cautiously. There will be times where the artist will question their talent, their worth, and the  time spend shooting for the stars. However, if your family supports your dream, you are off to a  miraculous start because it is one less thing you have to wonder about later. Through the years,  my family has loved me, pushed me, and kept me in check for the last seven years and will  continue to do so because my success is a byproduct of their support. I mean, I did make the  promise to my mother that she would be my date to the Oscars… and by God, she is holding me  to it! 

Contact Info: 

• Website: https://cneildavenport.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cneildavenport/
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7465781/

Image Credits
Daniel, Vora and Ben Davenport, Drew Thomas, and Torry Martin