Cory Michael Dawson
- Writer
- Production Department
- Actor
As an avid cinephile, Cory Michael Dawson spent more than a decade working for his local video store and a Village Roadshow cinema. After many years of film studies, Mr. Dawson shifted his focus and found work as a Production Assistant for TV stations such as ONE HD, Channels 7, 9, & 10, Foxtel, and the ABC. Motivated by these experiences, Mr. Dawson chose to pursue his own passion projects, including directing his own short films, music videos, and web series.
In 2013, Mr. Dawson wrote and directed the short film You Are Not Alone (2013) which gathered thousands of views online in just a matter of hours. Later that year, it was nominated for "Best Film", "Best Director", "Best Writer" and "Best Actress" at the prestigious Short Cuts Film Festival. It was even featured on national TV as part of the event.
In 2014, while still in film school, Mr. Dawson made many more short films. Most notably Manic (2014) and Manic 2: The Lost Tapes (2014) which have both accumulated over 150,000 views online.
In 2015, Mr. Dawson wrote and directed the short film Injurious (2015) which was nominated by Warner Bros. Australia as 1 of the Top 5 Horror Short Films for the entire year. It was shown in cinemas throughout the month of October, where it was featured as part of the Halloween event, "Fright Night", at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast. It was judged by the President of Village Roadshow Studios, Wolf Creek (2005) creator Greg McLean and Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014) director Kiah Roache-Turner. Not only was Mr. Dawson the youngest director with a film nominated, it was also the only film representing his entire state of Victoria, respectively.
In 2016, Mr. Dawson relocated to Los Angeles to be mentored by Sons of Anarchy (2008) actor Andy McPhee. McPhee is the father and mentor of Oscar-nominated actor Kodi Smit-McPhee (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)) and AACTA-nominated actress Sianoa Smit-McPhee (Darby Drecker in the HBO show Hung (2009)). Mr. Dawson and Andy McPhee worked on many projects together, including a video game trailer for Payday 2 (2013) "The Biker Pack" - featuring actors Ron Perlman (Hellboy (2004)), Bokeem Woodbine (Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)) and Martin Kove (The Karate Kid (1984)). They also helped coach Emmy-nominated actress Sydney Sweeney for her numerous roles, including the Netflix show Everything Sucks! (2018).
Since 2016, Mr. Dawson has been a "go-to" script doctor for numerous feature films, short films and web series from around the world. In his spare time, Mr. Dawson also does "Introduction To Filmmaking" masterclasses for disadvantaged kids and at-risk youth.
As of 2026, Mr. Dawson has several feature films in various stages of development, both as a filmmaker, and as an actor.
In 2013, Mr. Dawson wrote and directed the short film You Are Not Alone (2013) which gathered thousands of views online in just a matter of hours. Later that year, it was nominated for "Best Film", "Best Director", "Best Writer" and "Best Actress" at the prestigious Short Cuts Film Festival. It was even featured on national TV as part of the event.
In 2014, while still in film school, Mr. Dawson made many more short films. Most notably Manic (2014) and Manic 2: The Lost Tapes (2014) which have both accumulated over 150,000 views online.
In 2015, Mr. Dawson wrote and directed the short film Injurious (2015) which was nominated by Warner Bros. Australia as 1 of the Top 5 Horror Short Films for the entire year. It was shown in cinemas throughout the month of October, where it was featured as part of the Halloween event, "Fright Night", at Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast. It was judged by the President of Village Roadshow Studios, Wolf Creek (2005) creator Greg McLean and Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead (2014) director Kiah Roache-Turner. Not only was Mr. Dawson the youngest director with a film nominated, it was also the only film representing his entire state of Victoria, respectively.
In 2016, Mr. Dawson relocated to Los Angeles to be mentored by Sons of Anarchy (2008) actor Andy McPhee. McPhee is the father and mentor of Oscar-nominated actor Kodi Smit-McPhee (Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)) and AACTA-nominated actress Sianoa Smit-McPhee (Darby Drecker in the HBO show Hung (2009)). Mr. Dawson and Andy McPhee worked on many projects together, including a video game trailer for Payday 2 (2013) "The Biker Pack" - featuring actors Ron Perlman (Hellboy (2004)), Bokeem Woodbine (Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)) and Martin Kove (The Karate Kid (1984)). They also helped coach Emmy-nominated actress Sydney Sweeney for her numerous roles, including the Netflix show Everything Sucks! (2018).
Since 2016, Mr. Dawson has been a "go-to" script doctor for numerous feature films, short films and web series from around the world. In his spare time, Mr. Dawson also does "Introduction To Filmmaking" masterclasses for disadvantaged kids and at-risk youth.
As of 2026, Mr. Dawson has several feature films in various stages of development, both as a filmmaker, and as an actor.
