Wayne Darwen

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Wayne Darwen
Wayne solo lg 062615.jpg
Wayne Darwen in June 2015
Born
Australia
OccupationJournalist, television producer, filmmaker

Wayne Darwen is an Australian journalist, television producer and filmmaker best known for his work in the tabloid television genre[1] and as director and star of the film, High There (2015).[2]

Began career as a 17-year-old reporter for a newspaper in Sydney, Australia. He worked internationally as a reporter for titles such as Sydney Daily Mirror, Star magazine and the New York Post, before moving to American television as a producer of tabloid newsmagazine shows like A Current Affair, Hard Copy, Geraldo Rivera’s Now It Can be Told,[3] Strange Universe and Inside Edition.[4]

He received attention for his 1993 series of televised interviews with Son of Sam killer David Berkowitz,[5] in which Berkowitz claimed the murders were the work of a Satanic cult.[6] He appeared as reporter in the documentary film, Dark Mirror of Magick: The Vassago Millennium Prophecy (2012).[7]

His early television exploits were featured in the 1999 book Tabloid Baby,[8] written by his colleague Burt Kearns.

Natural Born Killers[]

Darwen inspired the character of newsman Wayne Gale, portrayed by Robert Downey Jr. in Oliver Stone’s film, Natural Born Killers (1994).[9][10]

In May 2015, Darwen made international news when he responded to Downey's attack on journalists[11] and independent films,[12] telling The New York Post's Page Six: "Junior was a lot more interesting when he was a substance-abusing, suffering artist — brave and silly enough to push the envelope."[10]

High There[]

Darwen wrote, directed (with Henry Goren), produced and took on the guise of Dave High[13] in the documentary film High There (2015).[14] High There is a nonfiction comedy about the efforts of Darwen and Henry Goren to film the pilot for a marijuana travelogue series on the island of Hawaii. They wind up in various misadventures, while uncovering a Drug Enforcement Administration campaign to control the marijuana trade and to persecute marijuana activist Roger Christie.[15] It is the first leg of a filmic journey that picks up where Darwen's colleague and inspiration Hunter S. Thompson left off.[16]

High There premiered 25 August 2014 at the Action on Film International Film Festival in Monrovia, California. Darwen was on location in Adelaide at the time, so he appeared at the premiere as a life-size cardboard cut-out.[17] The film won the Viewers' Choice Award at the first annual Cannabis Film Festival in Humboldt County, California on May 3, 2015.[18] On the heels of several rave reviews,[2] it was released on VOD and Limited Edition DVD[citation needed] by BrinkVision[19] on June 23, 2015.[20][21][22]

References[]

  1. ^ Dunleavy, Steve (14 November 1999). "NY Post: My Fondest 'Affair': When We Were Tabloid-TV Kings". tabloid baby. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b Arriaga, Indra (28 May 2015). "High There". Anchorage Press. Archived from the original on 10 February 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Now It Can Be Told". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  4. ^ DiGiacomo, Frank (12 June 1999). "Steve Dunleavy and the Rise of Tabloid TV". New York Observer. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  5. ^ Mitchell, Deborah; Landman, Beth (12 July 1999). "Morton's Not Solow On This Deal". New York. Archived from the original on 12 September 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Ex-cop doesn't believe Son of Sam's cult tale". The Gainesville Sun. The Associated Press. 13 November 1993. p. 2B. Retrieved 11 September 2014 – via Google News.
  7. ^ YouTube
  8. ^ Elder, Sean (8 December 1999). "Tabloid Nation". Salon. Archived from the original on 21 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  9. ^ TheLipTV (28 June 2013). Robert Downey Jr's Inspiration for Natural Born Killers, Wayne Darwen. YouTube.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b Johnson, Richard (20 May 2015). "Robert Downey Jr. was 'more interesting' on drugs". Page Six. New York Post. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  11. ^ Goodman, Jessica (22 April 2015). "Robert Downey Jr. Walks Out Of Interview After Being Asked About 'Dark Periods'". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Robert Downey Jr: independent movies are 'exhausting and sometimes suck'". The Guardian. 1 May 2015. Archived from the original on 4 June 2015. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
  13. ^ "The Mind-Boggling Power Of A Marijuana Documentary!". Mysteries From Beyond the Other Dominion. Blogspot. 31 January 2015. Archived from the original on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
  14. ^ Johnson, Richard (18 August 2014). "Tabloid producer Darwen about to have doc hit festival circuit". Page Six. New York Post. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  15. ^ "Hilo's 'pot minister' speaks out after prison release". Hawaii News Now. 25 September 2014. Archived from the original on 28 September 2014.
  16. ^ Denman-Underhill, Lori (9 June 2015). "Gonzo-Style Documentary High There Explores Pot Legalization Battle in Hawaii". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 9 June 2015.
  17. ^ "High There Storms The Action On Film Festival!". High There. 2014. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014.
  18. ^ "High There Wins Viewers Choice Award at 1st Cannabis Film Festival". 420 Magazine. 4 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
  19. ^ "High There". Brink Vision. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Hightherethemovie.com". Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  21. ^ The Australian Archived 09 March 2016
  22. ^ "Brink Vision DVD: High There (2014)". A Bucket of Corn. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015.

External links[]

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