Biography

Deanna McDaniel began her career as a director of feature documentaries including, "The Duke City Shootout" and "Courage: Profiles in Creativity." She then became vice president of marketing at The Walt Disney Studios, working on over 90 feature films including "The Pirates of the Caribbean," "Signs," "Finding Nemo," and "The Chronicles of Narnia." Following she became Executive Vice-President for Christopher R. Coppola Productions, a state of the art digital studio where she created and produced original content for film, television, and emerging media.

Behind the camera, Ms. McDaniel wrote and directed the award-winning short film, "Blind Duet," the short film "Bark" which premiered at the 2023 Tacoma Film Festival, the short film thriller, "Veiled", and directed the award-winning short film, "Bedrock." She produced an additional four short films, and wrote and directed two plays in Los Angeles including "First Last No Security."

She completed the Independent Feature Film Program at The University of Southern California (USC) and also studied film at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston (SMFA). Deanna McDaniel also worked for two years in Central America, developing programs in health and education and working with orphans of war.
- IMDb mini biography by: Mary Lee

Deanna lived with Dame Judith Anderson ("Rebecca") who gave her a Matisse that she hung in her bedroom. She left the painting behind when she moved out.