Paul McDade

Paul Montez McDade was born in Boone, North Carolina in 1971. Growing up as an 'army brat', Paul also lived in El Paso, Vogelweh, Ramstein, Munich, and finally, Tuscaloosa. Paul's mother, Dorothy Montez, is a mix of old Spanish, Ojibwe, Apache, and Jewish descent. His father, Harry McDade, was born in Newark, New Jersey. Harry's parents were born and raised in Airdrie & Blantyre, Lanarkshire, Scotland. Attending the University of Alabama, Montez McDade graduated with a major in Telecommunications & Film and a minor in English. While at the University, Paul was the Film Director for University Programs at the campus movie theater between 1991 and 1992 helping screen 16mm prints of the following gems: Mala Noche (1986), Daughters of the Dust (1991), Rodrigo D: No futuro (1990), Oreos with Attitude (1991), Three Bewildered People in the Night (1987), The Wages of Fear (1953), Svankmajer's Alice (1988), Peppermint Soda (1977), Paris Is Burning (1990), My Twentieth Century (1989), Vera (1986), The Killer (1989), Archangel (1990), Blood in the Face (1991), L'Atalante (1934), An Angel at My Table (1990) and Poison (1991) to name a few. Upon moving to spots in the Great Lakes area after graduation, Montez McDade completed workshops at public-access TV in Milwaukee and Ann Arbor in order to access equipment and to air his early short films. While living in Lincoln Square, the Chicago Film Office produced his experimental 35mm film Transmissions, and it premiered at the first Outdoor Film Festival in Grant Park. Soaking in Chicago's excellent theater and catching free shows while selling tickets at the Royal George Theatre, Paul also studied acting under instructors: Jean Hammons, Michael Stipanich, Sondra Blake, Chase Winton and Barbara Bain, among others. Early on, Paul McDade started making short portraits of people in print and video. Some of his first subjects were Willie Varela, Euzhan Palcy, the legendary SST band Bad Brains, Thad Povey, James Herbert, and the sculptor of a thousand voices Charlie Lucas. Alternating between editing, acting and writing, McDade has worked with a wondrous mix of filmmakers, writers and artists. After acting in two film projects with artists Damon & Paul McCarthy, Paul edited Ryan Culver's first feature film The Education of a Negro. Paul is also producing a documentary portrait of Michael Esposito : an experimental artist and researcher in Electronic Voice Phenomena. Author Jervey Tervalon and Paul are adapting Jervey's novel Dead Above Ground into a series for television.