Kathleen Davison

Award-winning American filmmaker (writer/director/producer/actor) and founder/CEO of Painted Saint Entertainment, Kathleen Davison strives to honor her company motto: Endeavor. Empower. Enlighten. Endure. After completing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater at Penn State University, Kathleen began writing, directing, and performing for stage and film in Chicago, where she also developed art therapy programming for at-risk youth. It was her work on David Schwimmer's directorial debut film, Since You've Been Gone, that inspired her to make the leap to the West Coast. Davison's film education continued on the sets of her industry heroes, including apprenticeships with Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Frank Darabont, Glen Morgan, and James Wong. In her director/writer debut short film, Effloresce, Davison plays "Amelia," a woman who makes an unconventional lifestyle choice in her determination to prove that love is not disposable. The film garnered 23 festival accolades including Best Director, Best Original Short Screenplay, and Best Actress. It carries the distinction of being the last completed project in the life of legendary composer, Shirley Walker -- one of the most prolific female film composers and the first woman to receive solo composer credit on a studio feature film (Memoirs of an Invisible Man). Kathleen made her directorial feature debut with Primrose Lane, also commanding the screenwriting and lead role. She plays "Robin," an atheist whose loved ones go missing through supernatural means, forcing the reluctant dismantling of her perception of reality. Little did she know, Davison was about to encounter a real-world mind bender. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor during post-production and met the challenge of undergoing major brain surgery while completing the film. The dark joke in post became, "What will be finished first, the film or the director?" Both the director and the film came out winning. Primrose Lane claimed 40 festival accolades, including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Actress. Kathleen returned to the director's chair tumor-free, with a renewed determination to make a meaningful impact through media. Davison is attached to direct and executive produce the first three seasons Tech Bettys, marking her foray into web series. The first few episodes of season one are traveling the globe on an award-winning international festival tour, proud to claim Best Web Series and Audience Awards. Kathleen is in development with two television series: The Passage, a psychological thriller wherein a boy manipulates the time-space continuum to abduct his mother from a future life incarnation; and Revolution Now, a biopic series centering on Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for U.S. President (1872). Davison has a full slate of feature projects in development with Painted Saint Entertainment, defining her penchant for women's history and empowerment, psychological thrillers, paranormal twists, and themes that dig deep into the human psyche. As a commercial director and copywriter, Kathleen is known for her innovative handling of sensitive subjects. From an entire cast attired in bubble wrap to illustrate the principles of sexual consent (ACLU's California Healthy Youth Act campaign) to the unique emotional needs of the developmentally disabled when receiving health care (We Care Dental), to the impact of disease on life's biggest moments (Hereditary Angioedema Association), Davison meets delicate matters with creative direction, which has earned her Bronze and Silver Telly awards and a Gold Aurora Award. Kathleen is an avid spokesperson and festival panelist for women in film, gender parity, dispelling the myths which perpetuate ageism, and expanding diversity interests in media. She advances these missions through a number of affiliations, including serving as a founding board member of GreenLight Women, an organization devoted to the empowerment of industry women over 40 who seek to create a more positive perspective of mature women through media; and the Alliance of Women Directors, where she has also served on the board. Davison hails from a small town in Pennsylvania, where she was a foster child who had no professional mentors or connections to Hollywood. Her life and career ambitions are a continuous example of defying statistical odds in a spirit she hopes to inspire in others. Kathleen is bi-coastal (NYC/LA), spending the bulk of her time in Los Angeles where she enjoys raising two children, two dogs, and a slightly sinister cat. One of the great investments of her life is volunteering with foster youth. Davison is a fellow of the Sundance Institute and a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and Actors' Equity Association (AEA).