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ABOUT / CONTACT

Active since about 2003, Jollyville Pictures is "one of Austin's last few remaining DIY film collectives" (Marc Savlov, The Austin Chronicle). When they're not working day jobs or selling their talents for rent money, the creative collective behind Jollyville specializes in short, dark comedies.

Though Jollyville calls upon a wonderful, rotating group of talented Austin peformers to create their films, the primary collective consists of award-winning filmmakers Don Swaynos, Tate English, and Dano Johnson.

For more information or to set up a screening, please contact us at jollyvillepictures@gmail.com

 

BIO

Don SwaynosAs co-director and editor, Don Swaynos has recently completed two documentary features: the award-winning 'Year at Danger' and the 2008 TFPF Grant recipient 'The American Widow Project' (on which he also served as producer).

In addition Don works as a freelance editor, juggling everything from television, music videos, animated advertisements, and documentaries. As well as writing, producing, and editing for Jollville Pictures, Don recently edited the all-improvised feature 'Ultimate Guide to Flight', and the scripted comedy feature ‘S&M Lawn Care

Don is also a multiple-award winning screenwriter having won several national and regional awards for his work on viral videos for the animation studio Collection Agency Films.

Don’s films, music videos, and advertisements have earned a lot of attention in the press; including mentions in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CNN, ABC World News, Politico, The Huffington Post, The Military Times, Fangoria, Dread Central, Film Threat, and Politco, just to name a few. To learn more, visit his personal website: www.donswaynos.com .

 

 

Tate EnglishTate English has been writing and directing short films since 1999. While at the University of Texas, he produced the student television program Puppet Show, which was recognized by the Jim Henson Foundation. His short student film 'Emily', a collaboration with writer Don Swaynos, was picked up for DVD distribution by world-famous independent film studio Troma Films.

Tate's short films have played in numerous film festivals, including the Austin Film Festival, Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, the Atlanta Film Festival, the Charlotte Film Festival, the Sonoma Film Festival, the Oxford Film Festival, and the now-defunct CinemaTexas. His film 'The Ballad of Friday and June' was awarded Best Short Film at the 2009 Indie Memphis Film Festival.

When not making short films, practicing photography, or maintaining his secret identity as a software analyst, Tate is a student in the Graduate College of Texas State University, working on his Master's degree in Technical Communication.

 

 

Dano JohnsonDano Johnson has worked for nine years writing, animating, and directing educational and entertaining multimedia.  While at the University of Texas at Austin he studied children's educational television and interned at Sesame Workshop in New York. 

After working as Director of Video for Ignite! Learning, Dano co-founded Collection Agency Films with Troy Campbell and began churning out animated music videos, political ads, and short films.  CAF's comic short starring Ray Wylie Hubbard, "Tall Tales & Other Big Lies," won runner-up for best animated short at SXSW 2006 while their music video for the New York Dolls' DANCE LIKE A MONKEY won best animated music video at the 2006 Bradford Animation Festival.  His 2009 political ad for Charlie Wheelan just won a gold Pollie award, while his 2006 ads for Kinky Friedman won a Telly and a Lone Star Emmy for best Internet ad. 

Dano co-wrote, co-directed, and directed the animation team for 2007's FLATLAND: THE MOVIE, which starred Martin Sheen, Kristen Bell, and Michael York.  The educational film is now shown in mathematics classrooms around the world, and has won awards at the Berlin MathFilm Festival, the Kids First! Film Festival, and the EcoVision Film Festival.  Dano is currently teaching animation at Austin Community College while working on several Collection Agency Films projects and developing a Flatland sequel, "Sphereland."