PLATTSBURGH — Los Angeles-based screenwriter and director Zachary Donohue grew up in Ticonderoga.
He graduated Ticonderoga High School, Class of 2004, and New York University Film School, Class of 2008.
Zachary got on this filmmaker trajectory thanks to his father, Dave Donohue.
“My dad was really big into movies and had an old Super 8 camera, and we used to shoot a lot of stuff in and around upstate — little scary home movies. We did not get Champy, but I would love to try,” he said.
NYU
NYU was super competitive, but Zachary attributes his acceptance to his admissions letter.
“That actually came from a childhood memory at the Plattsburgh movie theater,” he said. “My dad and I would go to the Plattsburgh movie theater every Saturday and watch movies.
“I just kind of, like, learned to develop an appreciation for all movies there (Regal Cinemas) … I think I saw my movie is playing in Plattsburgh, so I guess it’s going to be playing in that theater, which is cool.”
THESIS
His senior thesis was a 20-minute short film, a comedy about a high school reunion.
“Film school was a great experience because not only are you learning all the practicalities and the history of film, but then, on the weekends, you get together with a crew and you work on everybody’s short film,” he said.
“You stay busy. There’s a lot to learn. We’re probably one of the last classes to still shoot on film, but digital was being embraced and we learned on both, which was kind of cool.”
While at NYU, he received the Oliver Stone Screenwriting Award for “Bitter.”
HOLLYWOOD
In 2010-11, Zachary looked for work as a screenwriter in New York City.
“I wasn’t quite finding enough opportunities, and, obviously, LA, at the time, was known for all the production companies are here, all of the studios are here. At a certain point, I had to go and chase that dream,” he said.
He left for Los Angeles in 2011, where Zachary interned for free for a year.
A couple of years in, he got an opportunity to direct a low-budget independent movie called “The Den.”
“It’s kind of gone on to garner a small, loyal fan base, like kind of a cult following. It didn’t have a splashy reception,” he said. “That’s a horror movie, as well. I link that back to my dad.”
OUTPUT
His other creations includes “The Unknowable,” “Deep End,” “Nick Rialdi Vine” and, as of this weekend, “Passenger.”
“It’s been a lot of ups and downs, a lot of stops and starts,” he said. “After ‘The Den,’ I was trying to get another movie made, another directing opportunity. I would put in a lot of work, and it’s really hard to get a movie made. A lot of things kind of fizzle out.
“Through that, I was able to get opportunities here and there to get paid to write a screenplay. Throughout all of this, though, I was doing a lot of random odd jobs to pay the bills.”
“Passenger” may be a game changer.
“I talked to my dad about this a lot. He’s very proud, and he wants everybody to go see it,” he said.
With the national release of a film he co-wrote, Zachary is not afraid to look in his rear view mirror.
“The dream would just be to keep making horror movies that, hopefully, connect with a broader audience, that tap into universal fears,” he said.
“I would like to get back behind the directing chair very soon, but I also love being a writer.
“In this day and age, I finally reached a place where I’m doing what I love first.”