THE CO-WRITERS
"Life at the Resort" is based on an original screenplay by Deon C. van Rooyen. Van Rooyen is originally from South Africa, now residing in San Antonio, Texas, is a writer/producer with several feature and short scripts to his credit.
Many of Deon’s shorts have been filmed and/or staged in San Antonio, LA, and New York, and he is currently in negotiations to have his feature scripts Bill Shakespeare and Innocence Lost produced as well.
Deon was selected as one of six writers in the San Antonio, Texas area to participate in the inaugural San Antonio Theatre Coalition’s Twenty-Four Hour Theatre ASAP production, in which six ten minute shorts plays were written, rehearsed, and staged within a twenty-four hour period.
Deon was also a member of the team which won the San Antonio Film Commission’s inaugural Forty-Eight Hour Film Competition, in which he co-wrote, co-edited, co-directed, and acted in, the eight minute short Encore.
In addition, Deon is also the creative force behind launching a new line of clothing under the brand name “The University of Me™”.
David Higlen made his Broadway debut in "Heartland" where he also understudied Sean Penn. Off-Broadway, he appeared in the leading role in "The Brooklyn Bridge". He has appeared in numerous off-off-Broadway, stock & dinner theatre productions along with many commercials.
His more recent television acting credits include the highly acclaimed HBO show "Carnivale". Other television credits include "The Guardian", "The Drew Carey Show", "The Invisible Man" and the short lived David E. Kelly series "Girls Club". He appears in two low-budget upcoming feature films "Kill the Dragon" and "Death Calls". David also has a lead role in the recently released feature "Breathing Room", which is now available in almost all video stores and retail franchises.
One of David’s proudest accomplishments is the feature film ‘Banking On Love.” He wrote, produced, edited and acted in the award winning film. It won “Best Feature Length Narrative Film” at the Lake Havasu Film Festival and has also won a coveted “Gold Kahuna” at the prestigious Honolulu International Film Festival. “Banking On Love” also won an “Award of Merit” at the Indie Fest.
As a writer, David has written seven full length Feature Films, one Short Film and one Animated Short Film. David has also written a Television Pilot along with four additional episodes of the series. His screenplay "The Westler" was optioned by InLight Productions, a production shingle on the Universal Studio Lot. His Television Pilot "St. Louis Blues" was a finalist in the Hollywood International Screenwriting Awards, and a QuarterFinalist at "Scriptapolooza".
David is currently working on a comedic screenplay "Jury's Out" with Terry Rossio, the writer of "Shrek" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchises and so many other great films. David latest screenplay that has been optioned is titled "Jailhouse Santa" and is scheduled to begin filming in December 2010 in Michigan, produced by Alpha Theta Chi Films.
