About
Bio
Patrick McDaniels recently served as an account coordinator for Deluxe Media. Prior to that, he served as a development intern at Ensemble Entertainment, where he spent three months writing coverage and assisting executives with their daily duties. He also served as a reader for the Austin Film for six months, reviewing scripts for the competition. After graduating, Patrick spent a year working for Heat Dance as a production coordinator and assistant, updating production grids on a regular basis, and writing up call sheets. He also worked as an executive assistant for First Track Entertainment, helping to coordinate an ongoing internship program while seeing to the needs of the company's clients. Patrick has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in television writing and production from Chapman University.
Patrick was thrilled to bring one of his own creations to life when he served as the Executive Producer for the short form, student-pilot, O.S. He went on to write and produce the series’ next installment the following semester. Patrick is no stranger when it comes to production. In 2018, he spent his winter break serving as Second Assistant Camera for the Chapman student pilot DIRT, which went on to become an official selection of the New York Television Festival 2018 Independent Pilot Competition. In 2019, he served as the Production and Marketing Assistant for another pilot, the student-produced BOX OFFICE. The following year, Patrick turned one of his favorite, childhood novels - the first installment of Mary Pope Osborn's Magic Tree House series - into a one-hour, television pilot, which later became an official selection of the 2023 Adapted Story Showcase. Between semesters, Patrick worked as a Front Office Assistant at his father’s dental clinic in Renton, Washington.
As a child on the spectrum, Patrick grew up in a lakeside house with a one-eyed cat in Washington State, moving to sunny Los Angeles to earn his degree and pursue his passion for writing in 2016. He received the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence during his final year in high school. His dedication to excellence served him well in college, earning a membership with the National Society of Leadership and Success in 2017. Growing up, Patrick spent his days satisfying his creative appetite through reading a wide variety of novels, his favorites including THE LEGEND OF DRIZZT, DON QUIXOTE, and HOUSE OF LEAVES. His favorite television shows include DOCTOR WHO, STEVEN UNIVERSE, THE SOPRANOS, and THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE. Patrick is an avid fan of all things Disney, often visiting the parks with his family on a yearly basis.
Personal Statement
When you’re a child – especially one on the spectrum – your interests tend to shift on a weekly basis. One week, it’s A BUG’S LIFE, the next week, it’s race cars, and the week after that, it’s LEGOs. There were two interests, however, that managed to maintain their hold on me over the first eighteen years of my life in the Pacific Northwest: storytelling and characters.
Ironically, this was something I didn’t realize until my Junior year of high school. Despite the fact that I grew up on a lake house in Washington State, my days largely consisted of satisfying my creative hunger through reading novels, playing video games, or catching up on my favorite TV series, all within the confines of my room. My determination to remain sheltered was only matched by my determination to excel in academia, and I wound up receiving the President’s Award for Academic Excellence before graduating in 2016.
Despite my stellar grades and work ethic, towards the end of my Junior year I came to the stunning revelation that I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. In the end, it took a flight down to Colorado for a meeting with an expert college advisor for me to settle on my passion; creating characters as realistic and memorable as those in every book I’d read, show I’d watched, and game I’d played. From thereon, my mission was clear, and I applied to Chapman soon after.
Seventeen years of uncertainty came back to bite me pretty fast, however, and I found myself lacking the necessary portfolio pieces to be accepted into Chapman’s television writing and production program. Ever determined, I spent my first year – during which I briefly majored in Creative Writing – to learn the ins and outs of screenwriting and build up my portfolio. I submitted my request to change majors that winter and was accepted that following summer.
Majoring in television writing and production opened up a whole new world to me. In my Junior year, I spent my winter break serving as Second Assistant Camera for the for the Chapman student pilot DIRT, which went on to become an official selection of the New York Television Festival 2018 Independent Pilot Competition. Said experience went on to net me a development internship at Ensemble Entertainment in Beverly hills the next year. Soon after, my dream of bringing one of my creative visions to life came true when my script was selected by Chapman faculty to be made into a short form pilot, for which I served as the Executive Producer.
As an individual with Autism, my early academic career largely consisted of special-ed courses, and I often felt as though I was being ostracized to some degree. Because of this, I tend to gravitate toward groups that have a history of being delegated to the sidelines by society, particularly those with psychological and/or behavioral issues. This tendency is reflected in my work, with many of my protagonists having to either overcome or accept a mental disorder that sets them apart from others. Through the characters I create, and the stories I tell, I hope to shine a light on these oft-overlooked members of society.
Aside from writing, I used to work part-time as a front office assistant at my father’s dental clinic. I often spend my free time reading, gaming, or catching up on my favorite shows. Most recently, I worked as an account coordinator for Deluxe Media.